Social Media, Democracy and Fake News in Pakistan: An Analysis

Abstract

In this study, the researchers examined the prevalence of fake news in the social media debates on Pakistani politics and society. The content analysis showed that both Twitter and Facebook carried a sizeable number of fake news relating to the politics and international affairs, military, economy and religion. Though more fake news was posted relating to politics and politicians, fake news stories relating to international relations got more likes and share as compared to other topics. Interestingly, even though the fake news was busted as fake and not genuine, these continued getting attention of people. This indicates the influence of cult following and populism on the Pakistani social media users. The findings of this study support the available scholarship on the prevalence of fake news, its popularity and spread in the Western world.