Global perspectives on content creators’ apologies and image-repair strategies: implications for misinformation across platforms

Abstract Purpose This study investigates how content creators repair their public image after unintentionally spreading misinformation, analyzing how geographic, professional, gender, and audience factors shape their strategic responses. Method Structured in-depth interviews with 19 content creators (1.3K–1.1M followers) from 13 countries were conducted in late 2024. Data were analyzed using the phronetic iterative approach to identify patterns in strategy use across global and professional contexts. Findings Four image-repair strategies were identified: corrective action, reducing offensiveness, mortification (apologizing), and evasion of responsibility. Global North creators favor institutional transparency and structured retractions, while Global South creators more often use deletion and personal reflection. Veterans prioritize long-term trust through public accountability, whereas novices favor immediate deletion. Female creators tend to lean toward a transparent apology, while male creators adopt a mixed approach. Audience size shapes strategy: smaller creators (1K–10K) opt for deletion, while the largest creator (1M+) favors clarification to preserve an “objective record.” Implications The findings underscore creators’ dual role in misinformation propagation and mitigation, offering practical guidance for creator education, platform design, and ethical communication frameworks that address cultural and structural disparities. Originality/Value This study pioneers a global application of Image Repair Theory to creators’ misinformation management, moving beyond Western-centric frameworks. It develops a context-sensitive typology of repair strategies and demonstrates how platform affordances, audience scale, and the Global North-South divide shape accountability performances online.