Source-Critical Affordances in Social Media Apps

Abstract

Research has demonstrated how erroneous information thrives in digitized media environments, leading social media companies to introduce features for assessing media content’s trustworthiness. Using the walkthrough method, this article examines whether eight social media apps requested information on sources or relevant context when uploading media content. By introducing the concept of source-critical affordances, which connect source criticism with affordances, it investigates how social media apps shape users’ abilities to provide information about media content. Results show that no app request that uploaders provide information about images’ sources or origins; thus, uploaders are effectively treated as primary sources. This contrasts the platforms’ extensive sociotechnical infrastructure for retrospectively providing contextual information and sources for media content. Despite efforts to improve end users’ abilities to judge media content’s trustworthiness, a considerable gap in current measures is apparent, indicating the need for more comprehensive approaches to erroneous information that encompass the upload process.