Moving Forward Against Misinformation or Stepping Back? WhatsApp’s Forwarded Tag as an Electronically Relayed Information Cue

Authors

  • Edson C. Tandoc Jr. Nanyang Technological University
  • Sonny Rosenthal Nanyang Technological University
  • Jerome Yeo Nanyang Technological University
  • Zoe Ong Nanyang Technological University
  • Tingting Yang Nanyang Technological University
  • Shelly Malik Nanyang Technological University
  • Mengxue Ou Nanyang Technological University
  • Yichen Zhou Nanyang Technological University
  • Jingwei Zheng Nanyang Technological University
  • Hamka Afiq Bin Mohamed Nanyang Technological University
  • Joanne Tan Nanyang Technological University
  • Zhi Xin Lau Nanyang Technological University
  • Jia Yao Lim Nanyang Technological University

Keywords:

cue, heuristic, messaging apps, misinformation, qualitative, WhatsApp

Abstract

WhatsApp, currently the leading messaging application in the world with an estimated 2 billion users, introduced the forwarded tag in July 2018. When WhatsApp users send messages that they received from someone else, a tag appears with the message to indicate it has been forwarded. By alerting receivers that the message was not written by the immediate sender and was merely passed along, the forwarded tag may trigger skepticism of, and efforts to, verify the message contents. But does it? This study conceptualizes the forwarded tag as an electronically relayed information cue (ERIC) and seeks to answer that question using a mixed-methods study conducted in Singapore. This study combines data from an online experiment (n = 266) and individual and group interviews (n = 65) in a sequential explanatory design. The online experiment found participants rated a WhatsApp message as less credible when it was accompanied by a forwarded tag, whereas the interviews found users associate the forwarded tag with originality and sincerity.

Author Biographies

Edson C. Tandoc Jr., Nanyang Technological University

Associate Professor Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Sonny Rosenthal, Nanyang Technological University

Assistant Professor, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Jerome Yeo, Nanyang Technological University

PhD Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Zoe Ong, Nanyang Technological University

PhD Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Tingting Yang, Nanyang Technological University

Master's Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Shelly Malik, Nanyang Technological University

PhD Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Mengxue Ou, Nanyang Technological University

Master's Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Yichen Zhou, Nanyang Technological University

Master's Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Jingwei Zheng, Nanyang Technological University

PhD Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Hamka Afiq Bin Mohamed, Nanyang Technological University

Undergraduate Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Joanne Tan, Nanyang Technological University

Undergraduate Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Zhi Xin Lau, Nanyang Technological University

Undergraduate Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

Jia Yao Lim, Nanyang Technological University

Undergraduate Student, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences

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Published

2022-03-14

Issue

Section

Articles