Nearly 18 pct in SEA share news on social media before verifying
KUALA LUMPUR: As online misinformation remains a concern online, a Kaspersky survey conducted last November 2020 unmasked that almost two-in-10 (18 per cent) respondents admitted to sharing news before verifying if they are true.
News consumption from mainstream media and online sources have received a huge uptick globally, including countries in Southeast Asia (SEA), with the public forced to stay at home last year.
It is also notable that online citizens from the region consume most of their news through social media.
This is proven by a recent Kaspersky research which revealed that majority (76 per cent) of users in SEA get their news updates from platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more.
The percentage is higher for Gen Z at 83 per cent, followed by Millennials at 81 per cent, Baby Boomers at 70 per cent, and Gen X at 62 per cent. This, however, does not mean absolute trust in information published on these platforms.
As online misinformation remains a concern online, the same survey conducted last November 2020 unmasked that almost two-in-10 (18 per cent) respondents admitted to sharing news before verifying if they are true.
Such is highest among Gen Z (28 per cent), followed by Gen X (21), and Boomers (19 per cent). Millennials logged the lowest in this aspect at 16 per cent.
According to Mind What Matters psychologist Beverly Leow, a reason for the low verification rates when it comes to sharing news online could be attributed to the self-presentation theory, where the individual desires to present him or herself in a certain way.
Hence, when users are sharing information without giving it any thought, it is quite likely that they are motivated by the prospect of presenting themselves as updated and well-informed netizens.
“Social media presents us many different types of narratives. Sometimes a particular incident or event may have several conflicting narratives or versions, and verifying the truth of the matter or the validity of the information presented may be more time consuming and require more effort than hitting the ‘share’ or ‘repost’ button’’,” Leow explained.
The study, done among 1,240 respondents with 831 from SEA, also found out that only five-in-10 respondents across all generations said they read the full article before sharing it on their own account.
“Southeast Asia internet users are approximately at 400 million with an additional 40 million people who were first-time internet users in 2020. The region is also known for being among the most active social media users,” Kaspersky’s SEA general manager Yeo Siang Tiong said.
“In fact, our survey showed 36 per cent of users in SEA spend one to two hours more on these online platforms post-lockdown, 28 per cent added two to four hours, and some 17 per cent with four to six hours more being spent on socialising online.
“From a cybersecurity perspective, false information is a form of social engineering on a bigger scale being used by cybercriminals to effectively and easily victimise people and organisations.
“2020 was plagued with phishing emails, scams, and fake domains piggy backing on Covid-19 and now, even vaccines.
“This is why both individuals and businesses, with the current work-fromhome format, should not take misinformation on social media lightly.
“With this pandemic being far from over, vigilance on information and links that we share is more than necessary.”
Awareness about misinformation online is, however, showing signs of growth in the region with 6-in-10 respondents across all generations saying that they do check the sources of information or news being circulated on social media before clicking “Share”.
Boomers also lead the pack in confronting friends or family members who share fake news, based on their judgments, at 41 per cent. They are followed by Millennials (27 per cent) and Gen X (23 per cent). Gen Z appears to be more polite at 19 per cent.
Blocking is another way of users in SEA to protect themselves from misinformation. More than a quarter of the respondents admitted blocking contacts who share articles they deem as inaccurate.
The percentage of silencing online friends is highest with Gen Z at 46 per cent, followed by Boomers, Millennials, and Gen X with 33 per cent, 32 per cent, and 30 per cent, respectively.