Abstract
Social media is now the primary form of communication between internet users and has soared in popularity, which has directly impacted the spread of the phenomenon of fake news. Fake news is not only a widespread phenomenon; it is also problematic and dangerous for society. The aim of this study is to understand the phenomenon of fake news better. The study utilised a structural modelling equation in order to identify how Polish society perceives the problem of fake news and assess the extent to which it trusts content that is published on the internet. The key goal was to determine what factors have the most significant influence on the verification of information being viewed on the internet. By deploying the partial least squares method of validation, SmartPLS3 software was used to process the survey results. The strongest positive effect on information verification behaviour was found to be fake news awareness, which was followed by the intention to share information. The research did not consider any clear connections that may exist between the nature of fake news and its recipient; however, much of the fake news that appears on the internet is political in nature. The study can be used by news reporting companies and provides preliminary information for developers responsible for running social media sites as well as users who want to combat and limit the spread of fake news online. This study expands on the available literature related to fake news by identifying the effects on information verification behaviour of fake news awareness and the intention to share data.
Highlights
Fake news is a neologism that makes it difficult to place in a definitional framework [1]; as a result, various definitions for fake news have appeared in publications
These differ depending on interpretation and perspective, they all have one element in common: the foundation that binds most definitions together is the falsity of the information and the desire to imitate it superficially to give the impression of real news
We explore whether information verification is affected by social media credibility, fake news awareness, trust in people online, and intention to share
Summary
Fake news is a neologism that makes it difficult to place in a definitional framework [1]; as a result, various definitions for fake news have appeared in publications These differ depending on interpretation and perspective, they all have one element in common: the foundation that binds most definitions together is the falsity of the information and the desire to imitate it superficially to give the impression of real news. A desire to mislead the viewer in order to provoke a specific emotion or take a particular stance on a given issue is highlighted. Since this phenomenon is not based on facts but on arousing emotions, it is often encountered when stereotyping or in political, religious, or other highly controversial issues [3]. Fake news is a genre of disinformation, i.e., false information that is intended to mislead its reader or create a particular view on a given topic [1]
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