From BGSU OFFICE OF MARKETING & BRAND STRATEGY
A recent project commissioned by UNESCO sought out the expertise of Bowling Green State University researchers to better understand the complicated, but influential, world of digital content creators on a global scale in a first-of-its-kind study.
UNESCO chose the Global Social Media Influencer Research Lab (GSMI) at BGSU – founded by Professor of Research Excellence Dr. Louisa Ha – to study the motivations and ethical standards of content creators, marking the first time the University received funding from the United Nations organization for a research project.
Ha and her team anonymously surveyed more than 500 content creators across 45 countries and eight languages who post public content and meet the “nano-influencer” threshold with more than 1,000 followers, then conducted in-depth follow-up interviews with 20 of the surveyed creators.
The findings, which were released Nov. 26, revealed that content creators typically have a clear mission and good intentions, but researchers found significant gaps in fact-checking and determining source credibility.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they did not check for accuracy before sharing content with others.
Further, creators often incorrectly correlated popularity with credibility, a significant issue with online misinformation.
“One of the major discoveries is that many of these creators equate popularity – the number of views and likes – as credible sources,” Ha said. “If a post has a lot of likes and views, they view it as credible, even if it may be wrong information.”
Ironically, researchers found many content creators started with pure intentions to share information or expertise with others, though most aren’t treating the role as a full-time career.
Just more than half of surveyed content creators said they accept any sort of sponsored content agreements, and less than one-third of those sampled said content creation was their main source of income.
Researchers discovered information verification proved to be the major gap for content creators as they evaluated what to share with their audiences.
“When they share content with other people, 62% said they did not check the accuracy,” Ha said. “That is a major issue because it presents the possibility of disseminating misinformation.”
UNESCO asked for and accepted a proposal from GSMI, which was established in the BGSU School of Media and Communication. The research venture has become a leader in academia and beyond for understanding digital content creation, which includes but is not limited to social media influencers.
Ha said GSMI plans to further expand its research on a global scale, while UNESCO is exploring ways to help content creators become stronger fact-checkers.
With social media continuing to serve as a key connection between consumers and information, Ha said additional resources for creators could make a difference in fighting online misinformation.
“We want content creators. They are real people who have a lot of passion, but we know they have some constraints and they’re not doing too well in terms of fact-checking and verification,” Ha said. “But in general, they are usually well-intentioned. They just need guidance.”
