People can begin to develop stable opinions on unfamiliar topics after seeing roughly five posts on social media, a peer-reviewed study published in Information Systems Research on Tuesday found.
According to the study “Where the Ball Starts Rolling? An Empirical Investigation into Initial Opinion Formation on Social Media Platforms,” researchers found that people begin forming opinions on social media much more quickly than many users assume.
Many social media users assume that if they come across unfamiliar information in a post, they will research it and form an opinion.
However, the study found that the contrary appears to be true.
“People tend to assume opinions develop gradually through deliberate evaluation,” said Ashish Kumar Jha, co-author of the study and professor at Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin.
Social media users trust repeated posts even when false, study says
“What we found is that under typical social media conditions, people can begin forming durable impressions very quickly, often before they have meaningfully assessed whether the information itself is accurate.”
In the study, researchers used Instagram-style posts to mimic regular scrolling patterns. Participants were exposed to new information and then asked to engage with the content in ways that resembled real social media use.
Once participants crossed over what researchers call the “Point of Critical Information,” additional posts confirming the information, which was sometimes untrue, became easier to believe. Participants were more likely to share posts with unfamiliar information.
Notably, the effect remained even when the underlying information was false.
The study noted that, rather than evaluating the accuracy of the information presented, users tended to trust what was familiar and repeated.
The study also found that users responded better to identity clues that signaled credibility. For example, profiles with titles such as Dr. generated stronger engagement and greater trust.
In some cases, study participants trusted those accounts even when their credentials were unverified, rather than those of higher-follower influencers posting the same information.
“Our findings suggest the earliest exposures users encounter online may carry far more weight than platforms currently recognize,” said Venu Puthineedi, co-author of the study and professor at NEOMA Business School. “By the time corrections, warnings, or fact-checks appear, an initial evaluative framework may already be in place.”
The released study comes as social media networks come under fire for increased instances of misinformation and AI-generated content.
The researchers said the study's findings raise important questions about how social media platforms manage credibility and content visibility during major breaking-news moments, such as elections.
The study suggests that early exposure to new or incorrect information might just be one of the most powerful forces shaping people’s opinions.