  In this paper we investigate what folk models of misinformation exist through
semi-structured interviews with a sample of 235 social media users. Work on
social media misinformation does not investigate how ordinary users - the
target of misinformation - deal with it; rather, the focus is mostly on the
anxiety, tensions, or divisions misinformation creates. Studying the aspects of
creation, diffusion and amplification also overlooks how misinformation is
internalized by users on social media and thus is quick to prescribe
"inoculation" strategies for the presumed lack of immunity to misinformation.
How users grapple with social media content to develop "natural immunity" as a
precursor to misinformation resilience remains an open question. We have
identified at least five folk models that conceptualize misinformation as
either: political (counter)argumentation, out-of-context narratives, inherently
fallacious information, external propaganda, or simply entertainment. We use
the rich conceptualizations embodied in these folk models to uncover how social
media users minimize adverse reactions to misinformation encounters in their
everyday lives.
