The use of heat maps to explore perceived visual indicators of online fake news

Abstract

The study uses heat maps to explore visual indicators of online fake news as perceived by news consumers. Participants in this study were asked to browse through three separate documents, two of which contained fake news, which they were not made aware of. After browsing the three documents, participants were asked a series of questions via a questionnaire relating to the three articles’ content. These answers, in combination with the participants’ combined heat map data, were analysed to determine what participants consider as visual indicators of online fake news. Participants attempted to establish the source’s credibility and evaluate the indicators provided in the articles. It appeared that the title, URL and website names were important indicators. In addition, images attracted attention, too many adverts were considered a red flag, and an organized layout with an author, date, sources, and secure website increases the credibility of the source.