The Determinants of Fake News Adaptation during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Social Psychology Approach

Abstract

Because of COVID-19, people have felt the social distance and have resorted to the internet for information needs. Hence, fake news has become prevalent as people rely on information explored online. This research aims to examine the social-cultural impacts of fake news adaptation behavior from the social psychological perspective by investigating the relationship between collectivism, social support, sense of belonging, social endorsement, fear of missing out, perceived credibility, issue involvement, and adaptation on fake news among young adults in Malaysia. A quantitative research approach with an online self-administered survey was conducted, and 451 responses were obtained through snowball sampling. In the data analysis, measurement and structural equation modeling were adopted. Findings showed that the relationships among adaptation behaviors on fake news were significantly supported. This research consummates the understanding of the influences of social-cultural (collectivism) on the judgment formation of adaptation among internet users on fake news.