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Cited by 80Misinformation and Its ImpactsSpam and Phishing DetectionIslamic Finance and Communication

An empirical approach to understanding users' fake news identification on social media

Aoun Barakat, Karine, Dabbous, Amal, Tarhini, Abbas·2021·Online Information Review
DOI 10.1108/oir-08-2020-0333
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Abstract

Purpose: During the past few years, the rise in social media use for information purposes in the absence of adequate control mechanisms has led to growing concerns about the reliability of the information in circulation and increased the presence of fake news. While this topic has recently gained researchers' attention, very little is known about users' fake news identification behavior. Hence, the purpose of this study is to understand the factors that contribute to individuals' identification of fake news on social media. Design/methodology/approach: This study employs a quantitative approach and proposes a behavioral model that explores the factors influencing users' identification of fake news on social media. It relies on data collected from a sample of 211 social media users which is tested using SEM. Findings: The findings show that expertise in social media use and verification behavior have a positive impact on fake news identification, while trust in social media as an information channel decreases this identification behavior. Furthermore, results establish the mediating role of social media information trust and verification behavior. Originality/value: The present study enhances our understanding of social media users' fake news identification by presenting a behavioral model. It is one of the few that focuses on the individual and argues that by identifying the factors that reinforce users' fake news identification behavior on social media, this type of misinformation can be reduced. It offers several theoretical and practical contributions.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1108/oir-08-2020-0333

Cites

63 of 63 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Social credibility increases individuals' trust in information found on social media.

    “According to a few studies in our corpus, this is because social credibility increases individuals' trust in information found on social media [4,109].”

    From What Do We Mean When We Talk about Trust in Social Media? A Systematic Review (2023) · cites this paper as [4]

  • Verification behaviors (checking completeness, searching for additional sources, considering biases, investigating currency) are unaffected by users' trust in information.

    “Verifcation behaviors include activities such as checking information completeness and comprehensiveness, searching for additional sources to validate the information, considering the biases/agenda of the original authors, and investigating if the information was current and up-to-date, were all unafected by users' trust in information [4].”

    From What Do We Mean When We Talk about Trust in Social Media? A Systematic Review (2023) · cites this paper as [4]

  • Trust in information on social media does not affect user verification behaviors, but it decreases users' probability of verifying fake news on social media.

    “One study found that trust in information on social media does not afect user verifcation behaviors, though this trust decreases users' probability of verifying fake news on social media [4].”

    From What Do We Mean When We Talk about Trust in Social Media? A Systematic Review (2023) · cites this paper as [4]

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Authors
Aoun Barakat, K., Dabbous, A., & Tarhini, A.
Affiliations
  • Saint Joseph University (LB)
  • Lebanese American University (LB)
ORCID
Venue
Online Information Review
Publisher
Emerald
Published
2021-03-19
Volume
45
Issue
6
Pages
1080-1096
ISSN
1468-4527 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1108/oir-08-2020-0333
OpenAlex
W3138223205
Cited by
80
References
63
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 1
FWCI
14.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.emerald.com/insight/site-policies (tdm)
Locations
Online Information Review (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Spam and Phishing Detection
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Islamic Finance and Communication
Keywords
misinformation, social media users, verification behavior, trust in social media, trust in information, behavioral models

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