Study: Photos and infographics boost social media credibility, but data vis doesn't

A new preregistered study published on arXiv (2605.26309) by Salman Khawar, Yingdan Lu, Yilang Peng, Jiyoung Yeon, and Cuihua Shen investigates the role of visual content in shaping perceived credibility on social media. Drawing on processing fluency theory, the researchers conducted an experiment with 1,200 US participants, comparing text-only posts against three visual formats: photos, infographics, and data visualizations. They also measured two visual features—aesthetic appeal and production quality—to understand their independent effects.

The results reveal that visual posts generally outperform text-only posts in credibility, but only for photos and infographics. Data visualizations, despite their factual nature, did not confer a credibility advantage over plain text. Aesthetic appeal had a significant positive effect on credibility, partially mediated by processing fluency—meaning prettier visuals are easier to process and thus more trusted. Surprisingly, production quality (sharpness, resolution, polish) did not significantly impact credibility across any format. These findings have direct implications for social media managers, content creators, and data communicators: invest in visual aesthetics and choose the right format, but don't over-optimize production quality for trust alone.