Who is Responsible for Stopping the Spread of Misinformation? Examining Audience Perceptions of Responsibilities and Responses in Six Sub-Saharan African Countries

Missing Voices: Examining How Misinformation-Susceptible Individuals From Underrepresented Communities Engage, Perceive, and Combat Science Misinformation

“…Participants emphasized the importance of having people they can trust who genuinely understand their community’s concerns such as local politicians or religious leaders. This is also consistent with the findings of other studies of underrepresented communities which found that engaging with local leaders who reflect the identities, understand the historical complexities, and speak their language are crucial in developing appropriate interventions (Lee et al, 2023; Tully et al, 2022). Similarly, cultural literacy or the ability to identify and understand how to engage customs, social identities, and worldviews associated with particular populations is necessary for effective health and science-related communications (Zarcadoolas et al, 2005) and is an avenue for additional research regarding science misinformation interventions.…”

“…Based on the exploratory nature of our research questions and our interest in understanding historically excluded populations' lived experiences with science misinformation, qualitative research was employed. Although focus groups have been used to examine perceptions of and responses to online misinformation (Amazeen, 2019;Lee et al, 2023;Tully et al, 2022), as of this writing no studies have been found which specifically engage individuals from underrepresented groups with a demonstrated susceptibility to misinformation as in the present research. Following Guest et al (2017) who investigated the health-seeking behaviors of African American men in Durham, North Carolina, and found that 80% of themes are discoverable in 2 to 3 focus groups, this study relies upon the conversations of individuals from two focus groups.…”

“…Instruction was also mentioned by participants who were informally teaching children or helping friends or family members locate information. Without using the words “media literacy education,” this is essentially what participants were describing (Lee et al, 2023; Tully et al, 2022). While this type of instruction can take place at local libraries, as envisioned by the IMLS, some state-level initiatives are underway to mandate media literacy education in public schools.…”

When fact-checking is not WEIRD: Negotiating consensus outside Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) countries

“…Case studies outside the West show that falsehoods can have devastating effects on social cohesion in various overlapping combinations. These studies highlight macrolevel problems driving misinformation locally, including (a) partisan media ownership (Lanuza and Arguelles, 2022), (b) sociodemographic inequalities (Tully et al 2021), (c) religious and cultural conflicts (Bhatia and Arora 2022), and (d) authoritarian regimes (Akser and Baybars 2022). Taken together, these factors undermine authoritative sources that could guide the citizenry in identifying which actors, institutions, and sources are trustworthy.…”

Does Misinformation Thrive With Social Networking Site (SNS) Dependency and Perceived Online Social Impact Among Social Media Users in Nigeria? Testing a Structural Equation Model

“…Using data from 36 focus groups in six sub-Saharan African countries, Tully et al (2021) examined audiences’ experiences with misinformation and perceptions of institutional and personal roles and responsibility for both preventing and intervening in the spread of misinformation. Findings suggest that participants perceive misinformation as a problem if it has real or potential negative consequences and express a sense of shared responsibility among individuals and institutions for stopping the spread of misinformation.…”