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Global concern over fake news


Despite a rising concern around misinformation and false claims, social media users continue to believe that the information they read and share on  Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook is factually correct, with levels of trust highest in emerging economies such as South Africa, India, and Mexico.

The findings are based on a global study by Oxford University Press. The world’s largest university press, shows that when looking for factual information, 37% turn to social media, in South Africa this rises to 43%  with most of us also relying heavily on Google and other search engines for information, with two-thirds of people (67%) worldwide finding facts this way.

The study, The Matter of Fact, takes a broad look at how people across the world seek out information and judge its accuracy and finds that social media has become central to shaping people’s understanding.

More than half (52%) said that when it came to distinguishing fact from fiction, sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram play an important role. At the same time, reliance on books and more traditional means of gathering accurate information has declined.

The pandemic does appear to have had an impact on people’s perceptions of truth, with around three in four people agreeing that they are now more cautious about the accuracy of the information they encounter – a figure that climbs to over 80% in South Africa. The data also shows growing mistrust and skepticism about truthfulness, with 68% saying it has become harder to clarify whether the information is factually correct.

These are just a few of the recent cases of misinformation in South Africa – some of which were debunked by popular fact-checking website Africa  (www.africacheck.org) – they include:

  • claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain traces of monkeypox;
  • rooibos tea being a cure-all for preventing allergies, diabetes, and kidney stones;
  • plans by the South African Reserve Bank to introduce a R500 note to South Africa’s currency;
  • and claims that South Africa is the most dangerous country in the world to drive in.

 The full report, The Matter of Fact, can be accessed here.

 About Oxford University Press

Oxford University Press (OUP) is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. OUP is the world's largest university press with the widest global presence.

It currently publishes thousands of new publications a year, has offices in around fifty countries, and employs approximately 6,000 people worldwide.