The Credibility Assessment Process of Political Information on WhatsApp in Brazil

Abstract

Instant messaging applications (IMA) like WhatsApp are increasingly used for political information and news and have been directly related to the spread of misinformation (Newman, 2019). Although the platform’s closed nature differentiates it from open social media, it also has hindered studies exploring political information processing on this platform (Valenzuela et al., 2019; Valeriani & Vaccari, 2018). This study investigates the credibility assessment process of political information on WhatsApp, a central skill for individuals and a main component of information processing. Based on past literature, this study explores the credibility assessment along three fronts: perceived sources, social relationships, and platform affordances. Data were collected from 134 solicited diaries from 30 Brazilian participants around the 2022 Brazilian General Elections. Following, 14 diarists participated in in-depth interviews. Solicited diaries provided contextualized insight into users’ interactions with political content, while in-depth interviews explored underlying motivations and the role of affordances. Results reveal a predominantly heuristic credibility assessment process, with more elaborated evaluations occurring when users are highly motivated and not constrained by time or context. A pre- assessment phase was also identified, where users decide whether to engage with a piece of political information. Findings also indicate the importance of social relationships and norms for the credibility assessment of information and users’ interactions. Finally, WhatsApp’s visibility constraints create additional barriers to in-depth assessment. This research concludes with three focus areas for improved credibility assessment on WhatsApp: addressing platform visibility barriers, promoting information literacy skills compatible with the existing evaluation practices, and fostering s collective misinformation correction.