User attitudes towards fake news and information on social media after the third wave of the coronavirus crisis

Abstract

The article discusses misinformation on social media and some of the main instruments of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for dealing with it during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also presents the results from an anonymous online survey which is conducted after the third coronavirus wave and explores: whether online users consider they can identify fake news; the importance of dealing with fake news; familiarity with social media practices for tackling them; attitudes towards social media as a trustful source of information, and users’ opinion on whether social media is coping with fake news and disinformation during the coronavirus crisis.