Feeling the Facts: Real-time Wearable Fact-checkers Can Use Nudges to Reduce User Belief in False Information
For users of wearable devices, this work addresses the timing gap in real-world fact-checking, though the effect is incremental and introduces new challenges with system errors.
The paper proposes a wearable fact-checking system that uses ambient listening and haptic nudges to help users verify claims in real-time. In a controlled study (N=34), the system significantly improved truth discernment and verification activity compared to no support, but also caused over-reliance when the system made errors.
Misinformation can spread rapidly in everyday conversation, where pausing to verify is not always possible. We envision a wearable system that bridges the timing gap between hearing a claim and forming a judgment. It uses ambient listening to detect verifiable claims, performs rapid web verification, and provides a subtle haptic nudge with a glanceable overview. A controlled study (N=34) simulated this approach and tested against a no-support baseline. Results show that instant, body-integrated feedback significantly improved real-time truth discernment and increased verification activity compared to unsupported fact-checking. However, it also introduced over-reliance when the system made errors, i.e. failed to flag false claims or flagged true claims as false. We contribute empirical evidence of improved discernment alongside insights into trust, effort, and user-system tensions in verification wearables.