Anti-misinformation regulation and students’ rumour sharing motivations: the case of the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore

• Main Author: Tan, Minying
• Other Authors: Alton Chua Yeow Kuan
• Format: Thesis-Master by Coursework
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2020
• Subjects: Social sciences::Communication; Library and information science::Libraries::Information literacy
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/144333
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of curbing the spread of harmful misinformation online and prompted governments to introduce legislation against spreading rumours and fake news. Based on the case of the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore, this study investigated self-reported motivations behind college students’ decisions to share or not share rumours on WhatsApp, and how motivations related to anti-misinformation regulation vary with rumour type (dread or wish). By doing so, this study aimed to add to the limited literatures on self-reported motivations in rumour spreading, WhatsApp misinformation and anti-misinformation regulation. Responses from 75 participants were collected through an anonymous online survey. In summary, the study findings suggest that during an infectious disease outbreak, many students are motivated not to share WhatsApp rumours due to concerns with information quality, and that the threat of regulatory punishment is not a major direct motivation in deciding not to share rumours. Findings from this study could inform the design of effective initiatives against the spread of misinformation and aid evaluations of the impact of anti-misinformation regulation on rumour sharing and individual motivations.