The External and Internal Stimuli Affecting the Sharing Behaviour of Fake News on Social Networking Sites

Sim, Jia Ying (2025) The External and Internal Stimuli Affecting the Sharing Behaviour of Fake News on Social Networking Sites. Masters thesis, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Technology and Management.

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Abstract

Social networking sites have revolutionized the way that information is created and consumed, but they have also increased the likelihood that false information will travel at an unprecedented level, which frequently causes public confusion, fear, and a decline in confidence in reliable sources (Altoe et al., 2024). Many individuals continue to spread false information despite growing knowledge of fake news. This study used a quantitative, cross-sectional approach, based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework and Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), to examine how internal (information seeking, socialisation, and entertainment) and external (source credibility, emotional appeal, and message credibility) stimuli affect the behavior of sharing fake news. Fake news awareness was used as a mediator, and media literacy as a moderator. Convenience sampling was used to get 310 valid responses from Malaysian social networking members. The findings showed that while the impacts of source credibility, emotional appeal, and message credibility were less pronounced or not significant, internal stimuli—specifically, information seeking, socialization, and entertainment—significantly increased awareness of fake news. Despite media literacy not significantly moderating the awareness–sharing relationship, fake news awareness was found to be a significant mediator between specific stimuli and sharing behavior, indicating that cognitive awareness alone is not enough to stop sharing when social or emotional drivers are present. Overall, the results demonstrate how important fake news awareness is in influencing misinformation behaviors. They also provide theoretical insights by extending SOR with UGT-based motivations and useful information for educators, social media companies, and policymakers to use when creating interventions to slow the spread of fake news.