Information Manipulation and Web Credibility

Abstract

Fake information, news, and reviews are overloaded in the era of big data. We use an agent-based model to simulate social interaction between information producers and consumers. Whether the information producers manipulate true or fake information depends on individual consumers attitude to truth or presentation of information. Consumers adapt themselves to accept or reject information and may evolve or learn socially from the others. Honest and dishonest producers select production strategies and also evolve from the same type of producers. We unexpectedly find that dishonest producers may produce true information because consumers co-evolve with producers by raising their standard on truth of information. To prevent fake information diffusion, let consumers take social responsibility by raising standard on truth of information improving social welfare and web credibility in the era of information overload.