What is this research about?
Most people have experienced what it's like to attempt to correct or respond to potentially harmful or misleading information, either online or offline. The goal of this research is to understand how people form online communities to help each other in these scenarios. For example, some people might use forums to get strategic advice about how to effectively communicate with a family member. Some might compile lists of reliable news sources and articles for others to reuse. Others might lean on peers online to vent and receive psychological or emotional support. We hope to understand what drives communities like these where members actively support, learn from, and teach each other about their own experiences searching for and sharing credible information.
Who is conducting the research?
We are a group of researchers from the University of Washington. Most of this study is conducted by Jina Yoon. Other collaborators include Kevin Feng, and the principal investigators Professor Amy X. Zhang and Professor Franzi Roesner. This project is part of a larger project funded by the National Science Foundation called ARTT, or the Analysis and Response Toolkit for Trust. You can contact Jina Yoon for any questions, comments, or concerns about this study via the Contact Us links found on the left on desktop, or the top-right menu on mobile.
What am I being asked to do?
In this study, you will be asked to participate in a 60 minute private interview about your experiences discussing the topic of information credibility with others. The format may be in a Zoom audio or video call, or via a live text chat. We will ask you about any online communities related to this topic that you participate in. At the start of the session, we will briefly remind you of the study procedures and the participant consent agreement. We will then ask you if you have any additional questions and then begin recording the session. A transcript of the chat will be saved. If interviewed over a call, any recorded audio files will be deleted as soon as the transcript has been checked. You may opt out of video and choose to participate via audio only if you wish; either way, only the audio and transcript will be recorded.
If you would like to be part of this study but do not wish to speak over an audio or video call, you may request to interview over written communications via Twitter DMs, Reddit Chat, or Discord messaging.
How will my information be used?
None of your personal information is required to participate in the study except for us to contact you about the study, confirm that you consent to participate, and also to send you a digital $15 USD gift card as a thank you for your participation. If you happen to share any personally identifiable information during the interview, we will remove it prior to publishing or sharing it outside of our research team. Your participation in this research is voluntary and you are free to refuse to take part. You may refuse to answer any questions and may stop taking part in the study at any time. If you choose to participate in this study, you will be asked to verbally indicate that you agree to the participant consent agreement written below.
"I have reviewed the contents of this consent form. I volunteer to take part in the described research. I have had a chance to ask questions of the researchers in email. If I have questions later about the research, I can ask one of the researchers listed on this website. If I have questions about my rights as a research subject, I can call the University of Washington Human Subjects Division at (206) 543-0098."