What causes reticence in publicly correcting false information online? A case study from the Philippines

News audiences on social media succumb to filtering systems to navigate the overabundance of information. However, filtering systems get bolstered by echo chambers, increasing social media polarization, especially when false information hinders better-informed viewpoints. Reticence, though understu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jessica Asprer, Eleanor Marie Escalante, Jeremaiah Opiniano
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), College of Communication and Public Relations, Bucharest 2025-02-01
Series:Romanian Journal of Communications and Public Relations
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journalofcommunication.ro/index.php/journalofcommunication/article/view/595
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832570099886718976
author Jessica Asprer
Eleanor Marie Escalante
Jeremaiah Opiniano
author_facet Jessica Asprer
Eleanor Marie Escalante
Jeremaiah Opiniano
author_sort Jessica Asprer
collection DOAJ
description News audiences on social media succumb to filtering systems to navigate the overabundance of information. However, filtering systems get bolstered by echo chambers, increasing social media polarization, especially when false information hinders better-informed viewpoints. Reticence, though understudied, has the ability to hamper the spread of factual information. Hence, this study aims to investigate why social media users showcase reticence toward publicly correcting false information on their feeds, and how this disposition can affect ideological polarization. Eight interviews were conducted through criterion-based and referral sampling methods, and the resulting transcripts were analyzed through a combination of inductive and deductive approaches. Findings showed that reticence is driven by three interrelated factors: relational, proximal, and cognitive and emotional. This study contributes to the almost-forgotten research theme of reticence in communication and journalism studies, showing why such behavior and its considerations inadvertently contribute to polarization on social media.
format Article
id doaj-art-cbeb741d4e3d4ef99838edc5991b8af5
institution Kabale University
issn 1454-8100
2344-5440
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), College of Communication and Public Relations, Bucharest
record_format Article
series Romanian Journal of Communications and Public Relations
spelling doaj-art-cbeb741d4e3d4ef99838edc5991b8af52025-02-02T17:11:45ZengNational University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), College of Communication and Public Relations, BucharestRomanian Journal of Communications and Public Relations1454-81002344-54402025-02-0126210.21018/rjcpr.2024.2.595What causes reticence in publicly correcting false information online? A case study from the PhilippinesJessica Asprer0Eleanor Marie Escalante1Jeremaiah Opiniano2University of Santo TomasUniversity of Santo TomasUniversity of Santo Tomas News audiences on social media succumb to filtering systems to navigate the overabundance of information. However, filtering systems get bolstered by echo chambers, increasing social media polarization, especially when false information hinders better-informed viewpoints. Reticence, though understudied, has the ability to hamper the spread of factual information. Hence, this study aims to investigate why social media users showcase reticence toward publicly correcting false information on their feeds, and how this disposition can affect ideological polarization. Eight interviews were conducted through criterion-based and referral sampling methods, and the resulting transcripts were analyzed through a combination of inductive and deductive approaches. Findings showed that reticence is driven by three interrelated factors: relational, proximal, and cognitive and emotional. This study contributes to the almost-forgotten research theme of reticence in communication and journalism studies, showing why such behavior and its considerations inadvertently contribute to polarization on social media. https://journalofcommunication.ro/index.php/journalofcommunication/article/view/595reticenceecho chambersfalse informationsocial media polarizationPhilippines
spellingShingle Jessica Asprer
Eleanor Marie Escalante
Jeremaiah Opiniano
What causes reticence in publicly correcting false information online? A case study from the Philippines
Romanian Journal of Communications and Public Relations
reticence
echo chambers
false information
social media polarization
Philippines
title What causes reticence in publicly correcting false information online? A case study from the Philippines
title_full What causes reticence in publicly correcting false information online? A case study from the Philippines
title_fullStr What causes reticence in publicly correcting false information online? A case study from the Philippines
title_full_unstemmed What causes reticence in publicly correcting false information online? A case study from the Philippines
title_short What causes reticence in publicly correcting false information online? A case study from the Philippines
title_sort what causes reticence in publicly correcting false information online a case study from the philippines
topic reticence
echo chambers
false information
social media polarization
Philippines
url https://journalofcommunication.ro/index.php/journalofcommunication/article/view/595
work_keys_str_mv AT jessicaasprer whatcausesreticenceinpubliclycorrectingfalseinformationonlineacasestudyfromthephilippines
AT eleanormarieescalante whatcausesreticenceinpubliclycorrectingfalseinformationonlineacasestudyfromthephilippines
AT jeremaiahopiniano whatcausesreticenceinpubliclycorrectingfalseinformationonlineacasestudyfromthephilippines