Relating Credibility to Writing Style, Emotion, and Scope of Spread of Disinformation

Despite the current flourish misinformation studies, only few of them focus on the context of Chinese-speaking world. This study focuses on Taiwan, a country suffering from disinformation attack, and examines several factors in regard to the credibility of messages and finds that not the source itself, but the political orientation, scope of spread, rational quality, and emotional quality are what matter most. This indicates that when countering disinformation, regulations such as the FARA (Foreign Agent Registration Act) that emphasize transparency may have little impact since the source is not the main variable in terms of credibility. Instead, we suggest that fact-checkers, journalists, and authorities be made aware of false information that seem to be rational. This kind of message is more harmful than other kinds especially when the information stirs up negative feelings and circulates in small echo chambers.