Conducted by PIT
, Started on 2026 -
Completed on 2026
Completed
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Background: Misinformation poses a significant challenge to public discourse, and satire has emerged as a novel approach to
mitigate its impact. Unlike traditional fact-checking, satire leverages humor and irony to engage audiences and challenge
false beliefs. However, satire’s ambiguous nature risks misunderstanding and unintended reinforcement of misinformation,
necessitating rigorous evaluation of its effectiveness.
Methods: Research Design, This study employed a longitudinal quantitative content analysis integrated with social network
analysis to characterize diffusion patterns of fake news, satirical content, and political propaganda on major social media
platforms from January 2019 to December 2025. The design combined descriptive metrics (volume, engagement, reach,
virality) with structural network modeling to map spread dynamics, supplemented by time-series analysis for temporal trends
linked to platform policies (e.g., algorithm updates) and political events (e.g., elections; Allcott et al., 2019; Shin et al., 2018).
Results: Both satirical and factual fact-checking significantly decreased belief in misinformation and reduced perceived
credibility of false claims. Satirical interventions consistently engaged politically diverse participants. Nevertheless, neither
method effectively diminished affective polarization; satirical fact-checking on some occasions heightened polarization
among those predisposed to agree with the satire. Motivated reasoning processes were identified as barriers to complete
attitude correction in both contexts.
Discussion: The findings indicate satire as a promising complementary tool to traditional fact-checking, effective in engaging
audiences without confrontational tone. However, its limited impact on polarization highlights the complexity of correcting
politically motivated beliefs. Future interventions should integrate media literacy and consider audience predispositions to
enhance corrective communication strategies.