Social Media Narratives of Covid-19 Pandemic and Misinformation

Abstract

To great extent, social media becomes highly problematic for many users by sharing misinformation during early the Covid-19 outbreak. Yet, the dissemination of myths, rumors, and misinformation remained highly dominant. This paper examined the level of social media used among university students in Jordan (350 respondents), with a cross-sectional design and executed structured questionnaires for data gathering purposes. Applying the Structural Equation Modeling for statistical analysis and supported, findings indicated that social media was a strong source of both information and misinformation. It was used to gather information and share knowledge (e.g., unauthentic and unchecked information) about the outbreak. Finally, the behavioral intention indicated a strong, significant relationship with sharing unauthentic information.