You have been blocked: Exploring the psychological, personality, and cognitive traits of blocking misinformation sources on social media

Abstract

While extensive research has explored user engagement with misinformation, there remains a gap in understanding how individuals respond to those who share misinformation by blocking them. This study explores the factors influencing this blocking behavior, including social media news consumption, psychological traits, personality, and cognitive characteristics. Through three studies conducted in varying political contexts (the US and Singapore) and focusing on different types of misinformation (political, health, and political and entertainment deepfakes), we employ the dual motivation framework to analyze the interplay between social media news consumption and the decision to block sources of misinformation. Additionally, we investigate the role of the fear of missing out as a mediator in this relationship and how traits such as conscientiousness and cognitive ability moderate it. Our findings suggest that individuals who frequently consume social media news are more inclined to block sources of misinformation due to a heightened fear of missing out. Furthermore, those with lower levels of cognitive ability and conscientiousness exhibit a greater tendency to block misinformation sources. This research enhances our understanding of the mechanisms driving blocking behavior on social media in response to misinformation and underscores the importance of considering sociopolitical factors in understanding such behaviors.