Those 'Report Misinformation' buttons on social media are basically just a placebo to make you feel better.
SSRN · March 17, 2026 · 6293523
The Takeaway
Experiments with identical pieces of election misinformation showed that platforms like X and Facebook consistently ignored or rejected reports from the general public. Moderation only occurred when 'trusted flaggers' intervened, suggesting that user-based flagging is an ineffective mechanism that provides a false sense of agency.
From the abstract
Election-related and political misinformation has been observed to be prevalent on social media and a risk to the democratic process. Social media platforms have a variety of policies regarding its moderation but on many platforms, including X, Facebook, and Instagram, election-related misinformation is not allowed. In the lead-up to the Dutch parliamentary elections of 2025, a meme containing misinformation on how to cast a vote for a specific party circulated on Dutch-speaking social media. Bo