Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of false information spread through social networks, reaching different community groups, and contributing to the failure in the prevention and correct treatment of the disease. This study aimed to outline the profile of people who received fake news related to health during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020. This is a descriptive study with a quantitative approach carried out by health academics through a self-administered questionnaire made on Google Forms. A sample of 501 participants was obtained to analyze the participant sociodemographic profile, the content, and the most used ways of receiving fake news. The results indicate that the most received content by the participants was about health, followed by politics. According to the study, traditional communication media are the most reliable source in the search for information among participants, while WhatsApp and Facebook were cited as the most used social media in the dissemination of fake news, with the least reliable news. There is a need for further studies on this topic, to demonstrate which sociodemographic factors, influence the sharing of fake news.
Highlights
With the technological evolution in recent years and the intensification of information exchange, social networks have become fertile ground for the propagation of unreliable information without scientific rigor
There is a need for actions that involve communication strategies to stop the production of false news, as well as the need for social networks to develop ways to inhibit the spread of this information on a large scale. To collaborate with these efforts, the objective of this study was to trace the sociodemographic profile of the reception of fake news related to health during the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020
Fake news content The study sample was composed of a total of 501 participants, including 348 and 153 who frequently use social media
Summary
With the technological evolution in recent years and the intensification of information exchange, social networks have become fertile ground for the propagation of unreliable information without scientific rigor. The evolution of communication and ease of access have implications on the online environment, and on global reality (De Souza Júnior, Raasch, Soares & Souza, 2020). In this same context, it is easy to use these media for various dialogues or sharing information and content from unreliable sources. It is easy to use these media for various dialogues or sharing information and content from unreliable sources This information is called “fake news”; in English, the term fake news was created in 1930, defined as lies designed to deceive the public, containing significant omissions or distortions. This phenomenon is not new, since adulterated facts and invented information are part of the history of certain Western powers (Dentith, 2017)
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