Examining the Role of Online Communities and Forums in the Dissemination of Fake News and Scandals on Social Media
Chapter One
Objectives of study
- To analyze how misinformation spreads through various channels on social
- To increase consumers’ awareness and their ability to identify fake
- To discuss the importance of enhancing “digital media literacy” in the news generation and consumption
- To investigate which social groups are most influenced by misinformation and fake news on social media
- To conduct studies to quantify the impact of fake news and misinformation on public opinions, and their behaviours.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Concern over social media’s involvement in the dissemination of false information and fake news has grown in recent years. The proliferation of misleading information has become a serious problem for people, organizations, and society at large due to the growing usage of social media platforms. With a particular emphasis on the effects of emotion, politics, and the difficulties in identifying and mitigating fake news, this review of the literature seeks to offer a thorough examination of the studies on the role of social media in the dissemination of fake news and fake news.
Literature Review
Fake News Dissemination on Social Media.
Social media is a global village involving several participants; this environment allows information to be shared from one person to another at the speed of light. It allows people to contribute and express their opinions on various issues with ease. It is known for minimum restriction on information sharing, low cost, and very easy access. The platform could be regarded as the home of hate speech, malice, and fake news, because common people can create their own content, which in many cases are not entirely true. Fake news is defined as cautious spread of false information in the form of news articles and stories with the intent of destroying an image. According to (Gentzkow, 2017) it is news articles that are intentionally and verifiably false, and could mislead readers. This expresses the fact that fake news could be news articles published and are set on being false. The spread of false information has become synonymous with the term fake news (Cooke, 2017).
In contemporary modern age, social media platforms have become major sources of information, people almost no longer refer to traditional media to confirm information. Indeed, some information found in the traditional media originates from the social media. The urge to search for news on social media is almost like an addiction. People are ready to feed this addiction by publishing fake news stories and post on social media, mostly to generate a high flow of online traffic. So many social media users are quick to believe what they watch or hear without much thought. This has become very convenient for people who use this flaw to spread fake news on social media, knowing that social media users are unlikely to confirm the information received. People used this high flow of traffic to create wealth for themselves. Since the audience is very convincing, they go on to share the information from one social media platform to another.
Fake news can spread faster than real news (Langin, 2018). It has a wider coverage and wider audience (Vousoughi, 2018). Fake news uses a lot of devices and tools to attract audience. In the case of social media, catchy headlines and captions are used to attract audience’s attention. Social media articles use many exaggerated titles to sell their fake news.
CHAPTER THREE
RESARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
This study employs a mixed-method research design, integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches to comprehensively examine the role of online communities and forums in the dissemination of fake news and scandals on social media. The use of mixed methods allows for a nuanced understanding of the phenomenon, capturing both the breadth and depth of the issue.
Population
The population for this study includes active social media users across various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and niche forums. These platforms are chosen due to their widespread use and influence in information dissemination.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS
Introduction
The purpose of the study paper “The Role of Social Media in the Spread of Misinformation and Fake News” is to examine how social media affects the spread of misleading information. People’s answers regarding their use of social media, their encounters with false information, and the steps they take to counter it are included in the data file that is attached to the paper. The statistical features of the data, such as frequency distributions, cross-tabulations, and inferential statistics, will be the main emphasis of this research.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The study paper “The Role of Social Media in the Spread of Misinformation and Fake News” concludes by highlighting the important role that social media plays in the spread of false information and the need for both individuals and social media platforms to take action against it. The data analysis’s conclusions show that social media use is pervasive, with the majority of respondents utilizing Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. There is variation in the frequency of encountering fake news; some respondents report seeing it infrequently, while others report seeing it often. There is a mixed bag of responses about respondents’ confidence in their ability to spot false information. When fake news is encountered, the usual courseof action is to either disregard it and go on, explore more to confirm its accuracy, or share it with others without doing any additional research. More robust fact-checking systems, tools for users to spot false information, greater openness on the sources of information, and harsher sanctions for users who disseminate false information are some of the strategies put forth to combat false information. People are also accountable for countering false information. They can do this by checking material before sharing it, reporting false information to the platform, and teaching others how to spot fake news.
In conclusion, social media sites have a big part in the transmission of false information and fake news, so it’s important that they and individual users take action to stop it. The research paper’s findings offer important new perspectives on how social media affects the spread of false information and what may be done to counter it.
The avid dissemination of fake news in Nigeria is likely to increase as people see it as a fast money making venture created by political elites in the country to have an edge over their opponents during political elections. The existence of increased poverty rate further makes the unethical role attractive to younger generations who are eager to become financially independent.
In order to address the issue of demography distribution of Nigerians involved in the spread of fake news (young adults), the study provides an overview of the general behavior of Nigerians in this regard. Data generated could serve as a guide to resolving the problem by geopolitical zones. Problems specific to each zone with regards to the spread of fake news can be adequately addressed with the output and recommendations provided by this research. Resolutions to the problems generated by misinformation becomes possible with the knowledge of Nigerian demographical involvement especially by location, age, and gender thus, the study recommends the following:
- The federal government and relevant organisations should collate research papers/materials particular to demography analysis on the dissemination of fake news in Nigeria and use results to identify the specific role of Nigerians in the dissemination of fake news based on the demography. This action will enable them to identify these categories of persons so that the educational plans can be channeled appropriately. Through this process, they can achieve the aim of creating awareness on the implications of spreading fake news.
- Since the political system is also involved in the creation and spread of fake news, it is necessary for journalists to begin to engage in proper investigations to expose this act in Considering their professionalism in the field of ‘investigative journalism’, they should engage the relevant professionals such as programmers, IT practitioner to understand how and why people create blogs and other platforms for the sole aim of spreading false information. Such exposure will not only restrain Nigerians employed to do politicians’ dirty jobs, but it would also inform Nigerians of the importance of verifying online information.
- Appropriate government arms should propose and pass into law the necessary bills that punish whoever propagates fake news.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Research papers:
- Olan, , Jayawickrama, U., Arakpogun, E. O., Suklan, J., & Liu, S. (2022). Fake news on Social Media: the Impact on Society. Information Systems Frontiers, 1(1), 1– 16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-022-10242-z
- Domenico, D., Sit, J., Ishizaka, A., & Nunan, D. (2021). Fake news, social media and marketing: A systematic review. Journal of Business Research, 124(1), 329–341.
- Azzimonti, , & Fernandes, M. (2018, March 29). Social Media Networks, Fake News, and Polarization. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series. http://www.nber.org/papers/w24462
- Yerlikaya, T., & Aslan, S. T. (2020). Social Media and Fake News in the Post-Truth Era: The Manipulation of Politics in the Election Process. Insight Turkey, 22(2), 177– https://doi.org/10.25253/99.2020222.11
- Moravec, P., Minas, R., & Dennis, A. R. (2018). Fake News on Social Media: People Believe What They Want to Believe When it Makes No Sense at SSRN Electronic Journal, 43(4). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3269541
- Aldwairi, , & Alwahedi, A. (2018). Detecting Fake News in Social Media Networks. Procedia Computer Science, 141(141), 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2018.10.171
- Aïmeur, , Amri, S., & Brassard, G. (2023). Fake news, fake news and misinformation in social media: a review. Social Network Analysis and Mining, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-023-01028-5
