YouTube has been influential in propagating Flat Earth Ideology, but not everyone is equally susceptible to the effects of watching these videos. In an experiment with a participant pool restricted to regular YouTube users, we found that lower science intelligence and higher conspiracy mentality increase individuals' susceptibility to flat Earth arguments on YouTube. In fact, these two dispositional variables interact: whereas people with lower conspiracy mentality do not find the arguments compelling at any level of science intelligence, among those with higher conspiracy mentality, perception of argument strength decreases as science intelligence increases. Moreover, perceptions of argument strength varied on the thrust of the clip's argument (science-, conspiracy-, or religious-based), with the religious appeal being perceived as weaker and inspiring more counterarguing than the science clip. We discuss implications for both the knowledge deficit hypothesis and for the differential susceptibility to media effects model.

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Sparked by a collaboration between academic researchers and science media professionals, this study sought to test three commonly used headline formats that vary based on whether (and, if so, how) important information is left out of a headline to encourage participants to read the corresponding article; these formats are traditionally-formatted headlines, forward-referencing headlines, and question-based headlines. Although headline format did not influence story selection or engagement, it did influence participants evaluations of both the headline's and the story's credibility (question-based headlines were viewed as the least credible). Moreover, individuals' science curiosity and political views predicted their engagement with environmental stories as well as their views about the credibility of the headline and story. Thus, headline formats appear to play a significant role in audience's perceptions of online news stories, and science news professionals ought to consider the effects different formats have on readers.

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