What causes reticence in publicly correcting false information online? A case study from the Philippines

Abstract

News audiences on social media succumb to filtering systems to navigate the overabundance of information. However, filtering systems get bolstered by echo chambers, increasing social media polarization, especially when false information hinders better-informed viewpoints. Reticence, though understudied, has the ability to hamper the spread of factual information. Hence, this study aims to investigate why social media users showcase reticence toward publicly correcting false information on their feeds, and how this disposition can affect ideological polarization. Eight interviews were conducted through criterion-based and referral sampling methods, and the resulting transcripts were analyzed through a combination of inductive and deductive approaches. Findings showed that reticence is driven by three interrelated factors: relational, proximal, and cognitive and emotional. This study contributes to the almost-forgotten research theme of reticence in communication and journalism studies, showing why such behavior and its considerations inadvertently contribute to polarization on social media.