High-status Reddit users go unchallenged when spreading misinformation

Reddit users considered high-status (high karma score) are less likely to share misinformation, but also less likely to be challenged when they do, finds new research from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. This suggests high-status users can be allowed to spread misleading information with fewer consequences.

This study examines how online communities react when users share misinformation and whether reactions depend on who posted it.

Using a large dataset of 10,000 Reddit posts from 185 users, researchers from UCD Smurfit School and the University of Massachusetts Amherst examined two types of responses: whether posts received upvotes and whether comment threads showed disagreement. They used karma score as a measure for status; this represents the ratio of a user’s upvotes and downvotes.

Among low-status users (karma score below 2,271), sharing misinformation was associated with fewer upvotes and higher levels of negative reactions compared to accurate content. In contrast, high-status users (above 2,271 karma) did not receive more negative reactions or fewer upvotes. In fact, misinformation posts from high-status users were associated with relatively higher upvotes and positive responses.

These findings suggest a status-based hierarchy for social media platforms, indicating that user hierarchies shape how misinformation is received in digital environments.

“As social media continues to function as a central venue for information exchange, influential users occupy increasingly visible roles in shaping public discourse. Our findings suggest that informational accountability within digital environments may be structured by reputational hierarchies, with implications for how misleading content circulates and gains visibility,” says David DeFranza, Assistant Professor of Marketing at UCD Smurfit School.

These findings were published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication and can be accessed here.

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For more information, a copy of the research paper, or to find out more from Professor David DeFranza, please contact Kyle Grizzell from BlueSky Education on +44 (0) 1582 790709 or kyle@bluesky-pr.com