Abstract
Spread of fake news has been rapidly increased in recent months and the determinants that
lead the sharing of misleading information is not well studied. Henceforth, this study
analyzes the result of a Pakistani sample (n=385) regarding proliferation of fake news
regarding COVID-19. This phenomenon was studied by using uses and gratification
framework it was extended by the altruistic motivation. An explanatory research design was
followed, data was collected through questionnaire based on prior studies and respondents
were approached through different social media websites and answers were collected
through Google forms by following convenient sampling technique. Acquired responses
were analyzed through regression model to investigate the magnitude of effects among the
six categories of study on the result of fake news sharing. Findings showed that altruistic
motivation was the main predictor of fake news sharing of COVID-19. Furthermore, other
predictors i.e. motivation for information sharing, socialization gratification, motivation for
seeking information and passing time were contributing in sharing fake news about
COVID-19, while no relationship was found between entertainment motivation. This
research suggested some theoretical and practical implications.
Dr. Malik Adnan, Dr. Muhammad Bilal Nawaz, Rao Shahid Mahmood Khan. (2021) Predictors of Fake News Sharing on Social Media during COVID-19 in South Asia: Evidence from Pakistan, South Asian Studies, Volume-36, Issue-1.
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