Freedom of speech or freedom of reach? Strategies for mitigating malicious content in social networks

Abstract

Malicious content threatens the integrity and quality of content in social networks. Research and practice have experimented with network intervention strategies to curb malicious content propagation. These strategies lack efficiency, target malicious content propagators, and abridge freedom of speech. We draw upon the preferential attachment literature and cognitive load theory to employ the mechanisms of network formation, information sharing, and limited human cognitive capacities to propose an alternative feed management strategy—Preferentiality Dampened Feed Management. We compare and contrast this strategy against other established strategies using an agent-based model that utilizes empirical data from Twitter and findings from the prior literature. The results from our two experiments suggest that our proposed strategy is more effective in curbing malicious content propagation than other established strategies. Our work has important implications for the network interventions literature and practical implications for platform providers, social media users, and society.