Paper Number
ECIS2026-2718
Paper Type
SP
Abstract
While the rapid spread of misinformation on social media has detrimental societal consequences, the linguistic features that drive false news spread on social media platforms are not fully understood. To better explain why misinformation on content-rich sites like YouTube receives attention, this study compares the language of true and false videos. Specifically, the present work used the emotional tone (e.g., anger), arousal cues (e.g., “terrorist attack”), and certainty cues (e.g., “definitely”) of 720 videos (416 videos with accurate information and 304 with inaccurate information) to predict user engagement. Findings indicate that emotions, particularly anger and disgust, as well as the use of certainty-laden language, were positively associated with higher engagement in misinformation videos than true videos.
Recommended Citation
Tutuk, Hamide Nur; Ayverdi, Batuhan; and Can, Batuhan MSc, "Not Just Wrong, But Convincing: How Emotion And Confidence Drive Engagement With Misinformation On Youtube" (2026). ECIS 2026 Proceedings. 34.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/cog_hbis/cog_hbis/34
Not Just Wrong, But Convincing: How Emotion And Confidence Drive Engagement With Misinformation On Youtube
While the rapid spread of misinformation on social media has detrimental societal consequences, the linguistic features that drive false news spread on social media platforms are not fully understood. To better explain why misinformation on content-rich sites like YouTube receives attention, this study compares the language of true and false videos. Specifically, the present work used the emotional tone (e.g., anger), arousal cues (e.g., “terrorist attack”), and certainty cues (e.g., “definitely”) of 720 videos (416 videos with accurate information and 304 with inaccurate information) to predict user engagement. Findings indicate that emotions, particularly anger and disgust, as well as the use of certainty-laden language, were positively associated with higher engagement in misinformation videos than true videos.