Working Paper: NBER ID: w25223
Authors: Lesley Chiou; Catherine Tucker
Abstract: Online sources sometimes publish information that is false or intentionally misleading. We study the role of social networks and advertising on social networks in the dissemination of false news stories about childhood vaccines. We document that anti-vaccine Facebook groups disseminate false stories beyond the groups as well as serving as an “echo” chamber. We also find that after Facebook's ban on advertising by fake new sites, the sharing of fake news articles on Facebook fell by 75% on Facebook compared to Twitter.
Keywords: fake news; social media; advertising; vaccination; public health
JEL Codes: L86
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Advertising ban (M38) | Shares of fake news articles about childhood vaccines (Y10) |
| Advertising ban (M38) | Shares of fake news articles on Facebook (Y10) |
| Shares of fake news articles on Facebook (Y10) | Shares of fake news articles on Twitter (Y10) |
| Advertising ban (M38) | Causal identification of shares on social media (C32) |