Modeling the Factors That Stimulates the Circulation of Online Misinformation in a Contemporary Digital Age

Abstract

This study modeled the factors that influence misinformation spreading behavior among social media users, with a focus on Nigerian social media users. We used an online survey to sample 385 social media users using a chain referral approach. Smart PLS structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. We found the ease of use to be the strongest predictor of misinformation propagation, suggesting that the ease of production and distribution of information on social media supports the spreading of misinformation. The second most significant factor was found to be a lack of mindfulness, implying that when users are not mindful, their tendency to share misinformation is high. Religiosity was the third strongest predictor, inferring that religiously inclined messages rarely get authenticated. The social comparison was the fourth most significant factor, denoting that the drive to stay competitive results in a strong motivation to enhance oneself, and in the quest to enhance oneself, social media users are more inclined to ignore authentication. Self-disclosure was the fifth most significant antecedent, meaning that people who are prone to self-disclosure on social networking sites are more likely to spread false information. Exploration was the sixth most important factor found, implying that the continuous exploration of information could result in information strain, which increases the probability of sharing fake news. Enjoyment was the seventh most significant factor, implying that exciting content gets shared without much authentication on social media. On the other hand, trust in SNS was not found to be related to misinformation spreading. We can only draw conclusions based on the variables we have discovered and investigated. Future research on the spread of falsehood on social media may need to include more variables.

Keywords:

• Ease of use
• misinformation
• Nigeria
• social media
• social media users

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dongfang Hu

Dongfang Hu received a doctorate in journalism and communication from the College of Media and International Culture of Zhejiang University in 2022. At present, she is a postdoctoral student at the School of Media and Communication, Shenzhen University.

Oberiri Destiny Apuke

Oberiri Destiny Apuke is a lecturer at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Taraba State University, Jalingo, Nigeria. He also lectures in the Department of Mass Communication as well as Theatre Arts at the same institution. He holds a PhD in communication, from the Universiti Sains Malaysia.