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Impact of mobile connectivity and freedom on fake news propensity during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-country empirical examination

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  • Anuragini Shirish
  • Shirish C. Srivastava
  • Shalini Chandra

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a surge in the amount of fake news circulating on the Internet. However, despite the global bearing of the coronavirus pandemic, there is a significant variance in the propensity of COVID-19 related fake news instances across nations. To better understand the national-level factors contributing to the spread of fake news during the current pandemic, we theorise and examine the relationships of “mobile connectivity” and “freedom” (economic, political, and media) in a nation, with fake news propensity. We test the proposed model through a unique dataset comprising 72 countries generated by combining 6 independent cross-country data sources. We find that “mobile connectivity” and “political freedom” in a nation contribute to COVID-19 related fake news propensity, whereas “economic” and “media freedom” inhibit it. Our study provides preliminary insights into the mechanisms through which national-level systemic resources can be leveraged for battling the spread of fake news during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. In addition, our study offers several important implications for governments and policymakers that we believe will be instrumental in stimulating future research on the subject.

Suggested Citation

  • Anuragini Shirish & Shirish C. Srivastava & Shalini Chandra, 2021. "Impact of mobile connectivity and freedom on fake news propensity during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-country empirical examination," European Journal of Information Systems, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(3), pages 322-341, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:tjisxx:v:30:y:2021:i:3:p:322-341
    DOI: 10.1080/0960085X.2021.1886614
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    Cited by:

    1. Jiexun Li & Xiaohui Chang, 2023. "Combating Misinformation by Sharing the Truth: a Study on the Spread of Fact-Checks on Social Media," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 1479-1493, August.
    2. Cantay Caliskan & Alaz Kilicaslan, 2023. "Varieties of corona news: a cross-national study on the foundations of online misinformation production during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Computational Social Science, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 191-243, April.

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