Effects of time passage and web searches on naive internet users' perceived reliability of web information

Kim, SunKyoung; Morishima, Atsuyuki

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/126230 Copy

Description

Title

Effects of time passage and web searches on naive internet users' perceived reliability of web information

Author(s)

• Kim, SunKyoung
• Morishima, Atsuyuki

Issue Date

2025-03-11

Keyword(s)

• Time passage
• Web search
• Sleeper effect
• Information credibility
• Information reliability

Abstract

This study examined how time passage and web searches affect naive internet users' perception of web information reliability. We surveyed 285 participants via crowdsourcing, who read four articles on identity cards and data breaches. Participants rated each article's reliability after reading. We divided the participants into four groups using a between-subjects design. Groups 1 and 3 conducted web searches after reading the articles. Groups 1 and 2 answered the questionnaire immediately after reading, while Groups 3 and 4 waited two weeks before responding. We formulated two hypotheses: First, based on previous studies of sleeper effects—where less credible information appears more reliable over time—we predicted that Groups 3 and 4 would assess low-credibility articles as more reliable compared to other groups. Second, we hypothesized that Groups 1 and 3 who conduct web searches would perceive low-credibility articles as less reliable and high-credibility articles as more reliable compared to the other groups. Our results supported the first hypothesis, confirming the sleeper effect. The second hypothesis was partially supported, as only high-credibility articles were perceived as more reliable after web searches. Content analysis further revealed that time passage and web searches influenced other factors related to how naive internet users assess perceived reliability of web information. While more research is needed on factors like article types and search relevance, our findings offer insights for developing long-term strategies to combat misinformation, enhancing information literacy education, and improving task designs to increase the quality of open-source information.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

iConference 2025 Proceedings

Type of Resource

Other

Genre of Resource

Conference Poster

Language

eng

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/126230

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 is held by SunKyoung Kim and Atsuyuki Morishima. Copyright permissions, when appropriate, must be obtained directly from the authors.

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