Disparities in misinformation flagging and different evolutionary outcomes in social-mediated information ecologies: assessing intervention policy outcomes from a long-term perspective

This study utilizes network evolutionary theory to investigate the diffusion of misinformation and the impact of platform interventions on social media. Using two years of Facebook URL diffusion data concerning the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the study analyzes the evolution of URL-sharing networks for both misinformation and factual content in the presence of platform intervention. The findings reveal significant disparities in the application of platform interventions between English and Spanish information ecologies, where the English content has been significantly more intensely intervened by Facebook. Notably, while initial misinformation popularity in the English information ecology was gradually reversed over time, it became increasingly prevalent in the Spanish ecology. In addition, alongside URL sharing, English users continued to engage in diverse discussions, whereas such diversity was gradually suppressed in the Spanish ecology.