Misinformation in WhatsApp Family Groups: Generational Perceptions and Correction Considerations in a Meso-News Space

Abstract

This study examines how extended family group chats on WhatsApp operate as meso-news spaces, focusing on how misinformation is negotiated within these spaces. Through interviews with urban Indian young adults (N = 26), it finds that these spaces are characterized by a mix of interpersonal interaction and news, including misinformation. The findings suggest that young Indians believe that older generations are more susceptible to believing such misinformation, reflecting third-person perceptions regarding susceptibility to misinformation. The participants view misinformation correction as something one ought to do but state that it is not a widespread practice among their peers. Furthermore, various considerations shape their own decision to correct or not correct older relatives who share misinformation. They consider the misinformation topic and refrain from correcting misinformation on politics or religion; the potential consequences of correction, as they avoid correcting if it may lead to conflict; and their relationship with the misinformation sharer, as a greater sense of closeness, history, and rapport makes correction easier. They view WhatsApp as a suitable space for correction as it is associated with a known audience. Thus, this study reveals how relational, cultural, and technological factors inform responses to misinformation within meso-news spaces.