Fake news awareness amongst students : an empirical study

MSc (Computer Science), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus

Fake news is a term that describes news, stories, hoaxes, or other deliberately fabricated information that has been created to misinform or deceive readers. It has no factual basis, and although some fake news stories may include verifiable facts, it is presented in a way to deliberately push an untrue narrative. With the advent of social media, the spreading of fake news has increased, and popular media, such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and others, have become some of the primary vehicles for spreading misinformation. The effect of fake news is severe and wide-ranging, as it impacts not only individuals, but also organisations and communities. One way to combat the spreading of misinformation and its associated negative consequences is to increase fake news awareness levels. It is particularly important to evaluate fake news awareness levels of young adults and students, as they are perceived as the most intensive social media users. In this study, a fake news awareness survey instrument is developed to evaluate the fake news awareness levels of a selected group of university students. The objective of the survey instrument is to determine whether students are able to recognise fake news. In addition, the survey also provides information on various other characteristics of fake news, such as the spreading of fake news, guidelines on how to educate people about fake news, general behaviour, and news preferences of students. The study is conducted using the design science research method, and the results show that it is possible to determine students' fake news awareness levels. The study resulted in several findings which led to formulating a set of recommendations that may be implemented to increase fake news awareness levels.

Masters