Invisible transparency : how different types of ad disclaimers on Facebook affect whether and how digital political advertising is perceived

Abstract

One central measure set out in the regulation of digital political advertising (DPA) concentrates on transparency disclaimers to make users aware that the respective content was bought and targeted at them with a specific intention by an advertiser. However, we lack scientific evidence about if and how users perceive transparency disclaimers of DPA on social media. This article aims to provide first empirical answers to these questions by drawing on a two-part eye-tracking study with 177 participants that compares the effect of different prominent ad disclaimers (i.e., versions previously [V1] and currently [V2] used by Facebook as well as a self-designed [V3] disclaimer version) on the perception of DPA. We show that most users do not fixate on the ad disclaimers regardless of their prominence, nor does the prominence of the disclaimers affect the perceived intrusiveness and acceptance of the DPA. However, the recall and ad recognition were significantly lower for the less prominent ad disclaimers used by Facebook compared to our self-designed more prominent version, pointing to the shortcomings of the platform's current transparency rules. Altogether, our study allows a more substantiated discussion about how DPA is recognized and evaluated by users, which contributes to the debate about incorporating regulations for DPA.