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Factors affecting misinformation combating intention in Pakistan during COVID-19
Kybernetes ; : 23, 2022.
Article in English | Web of Science | ID: covidwho-1985413
ABSTRACT
Purpose Misinformation on social media has become a great threat across the globe. Therefore, the authors aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of social media users' misinformation combating behavior, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the authors merged the uses and gratifications theory, social cognitive theory and theory of prosocial behavior into one theoretical framework (e.g. information seeking, status seeking, entertainment and norms of reciprocity) to understand their effect on users' prosocial media sharing experience and misinformation self-efficacy to combat misinformation. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from 356 social media users through "Google Forms" during the third wave of coronavirus in Pakistan. Further, the authors applied structural equation modeling for hypotheses testing. Findings The authors noted that entertainment and perceived norms of reciprocity positively affect social media users' prior experience and misinformation self-efficacy to enhance their misinformation combating intention. However, information seeking positively affects social media users' prior experience and insignificantly affects their misinformation self-efficacy. Similarly, status seeking was noted to be insignificantly associated with social media users' prior experience and misinformation self-efficacy. Research limitations/implications The authors tested this model of misinformation combating intention in a developing country during the COVID-19 pandemic and noted that entertainment and status seeking motives are context-specific. Therefore, this study may likely benefit researchers, academicians and policymakers to understand the causal relationship between motivations and the behavior of combating misinformation on social media within a developing country. Originality/value In this study the authors merged three theories (e.g. uses and gratifications theory, social cognitive theory and theory of prosocial behavior) to understand information seeking, status seeking, entertainment and norms of reciprocity as the main motives for social media users' misinformation combating intention.
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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: Web of Science Language: English Journal: Kybernetes Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: Web of Science Language: English Journal: Kybernetes Year: 2022 Document Type: Article