Uncovering the Share Fake News on Social Media During Crisis

• Main Authors: Tahat, Khalaf, Salloum, Said, Mansoori, Ahmed, Tahat, Dina, Habes, Mohammad, Shaalan, Khaled, Naqbi, Noura, Attar, Razaz Waheeb, Alghazo, Emad
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; Entertainment; Fake news; Information Sharing; Information-seeking; Mathematical models; Pandemics; Security; Social networking (online)
• ISSN: 2831-7343
• DOI: 10.1109/SNAMS60348.2023.10375458

The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by an unprecedented amount of information and misinformation, making it challenging for individuals to discern accurate information from false information. To understand the spread of false information during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers conducted a study using structural equation modeling among a sample of 176 students from the Faculty of Mass Communication at United Arab Emirates University. The study found that the spread of false information during the COVID-19 pandemic is influenced by several factors, including people's susceptibility to misinformation, their trust in traditional and social media, and their attitudes toward the pandemic. Specifically, the study found that people who are more susceptible to misinformation are more likely to believe and spread false information. Additionally, people who have low trust in traditional media and high trust in social media are more likely to believe and spread false information. Finally, people who hold skeptical attitudes toward the severity of the pandemic are also more likely to believe and spread false information.