Understanding user behavior that occurs in a closed online community and countermeasures against the echo chamber phenomenon

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K19775
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 60:Information science, computer engineering, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University
• Principal Investigator: Aida Masaki 東京都立大学, システムデザイン研究科, 教授 (60404935)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 橋爪 絢子 法政大学, 社会学部, 准教授 (70634327)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-07-09 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 情報ネットワーク / 社会ネットワーク / フェイクニュース / SNS / 訂正情報 / 活性因子・抑制因子モデル / チューリングパターン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The proliferation of social media has made diverse information easily accessible. However, ironically, it has also led to the fragmentation of information where individuals only see what they want to see. This fragmentation has given rise to various social issues, including societal division. To address these problems, it is essential to consider the psychological factors of users in the dissemination of information on social media. This study aims to understand the structural phenomena behind the fact that disseminating correct information does not always lead to positive outcomes. This is based on the incident during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, where correcting fake news about a toilet paper shortage actually accelerated panic buying. We propose effective countermeasures based on this understanding.

Free Research Field

情報ネットワーク

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

フェイクニュースの効果的な対策は，訂正情報を発信することだと考えがちであるが，場合によってはこの行動がフェイクニュースの影響を悪化させてしまう可能性がある．本研究はこのような現象を，ユーザの心理的な影響も含めて数学的にモデル化し，理論的に説明することに成功した．これにより，訂正情報が期待通りにフェイクニュースの影響を緩和する方向で働くための条件を導いた．この結果は，フェイクニュースの対策技術考えるための学術的な基盤を与えるとともに，効果的な対策技術を設計する社会応用としての意義がある．