Date
2-28-2025
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Strategic Media (PhD)
Chair
Sara Allison Brake
Keywords
misinformation, TikTok, social media, media, communication, election, fact-checking, politics, political, United States, American, media, literacy, two-step
Disciplines
Communication
Recommended Citation
Thornton, Toi Travis, "The Effects of Fact-Checking Misinformation About U.S. Politics on TikTok Through the Lens of Two-Step Flow Theory: A Quantitative Content Analysis" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6509.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6509
Abstract
The social media platform, TikTok, has grown tremendously over the past few years. With the freedom that users have to communicate in the way they desire to and with any information they want to communicate, the spread of misinformation has continued to spread on the application. This has called for a need for reputable fact-checking organizations to correct the misinformation with truth. This research paper examines the effects of fact-checking on TikTok videos containing misinformation about American politics. It addresses the research problem which is that misinformation spread on TikTok has confused users about American politics, which in turn could impact their decision-making, how they vote, and their finances. A thorough review of literature provides the checks and balances needed to support the research. This includes peer-reviewed articles, journal articles, book references, and online news content. Through the theoretical framework of two-step flow theory, a quantitative content analysis was conducted to examine the hypotheses. Using this method, 114 TikTok videos from verified TikTok fact-checking accounts that fact-check misinformation about U.S. politics were reviewed and 114 TikTok videos containing misinformation were reviewed. A statistical analysis revealed that videos containing misinformation about U.S. politics on TikTok have a greater reach than fact-checking videos. Implications for TikTok and fact-checkers include greater efforts to reach a mass audience on TikTok. Implications for educators include providing media literacy to all starting with students as technology and social media are a great part of society these days. Media literacy will assist individuals who are exposed to misinformation with deciphering what is true and what is not. It will also give them the tools to research what they see and hear.
