The tweeps' perceptions of misinformation on Twitter in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

The significance of Twitter in recent years has come under scrutiny following the misinformation that has been popularly shared on the platform. Tweeps at the current moment are quick to share information without considering the facts. This study is based on the growing belief that misinformation is a significant obstacle to Twitter's credibility as a trustworthy information platform. Therefore, the study's objective is to examine how misinformation could impede Twitter's ability to function as a reliable source of information. Twitter faces challenges in effectively managing and addressing issues concerning harassment, hate speech, and abusive conduct occurring within its platform. The presence of trolls, bots, and fake accounts contributes to the dissemination of misinformation, involvement in targeted attacks, and the creation of an unfriendly and hostile online atmosphere. This study, however, recognises the significance of Twitter in information sharing, and entertainment amongst others. Moreover, this study covers a holistic view looking into both the benefits and negative aspects of Twitter. However, one of the dangers of using Twitter nowadays is sharing content that is detrimental to the people and or organisations. This study adopted a qualitative approach to analyse the implications of tweeps perceptions of misinformation on Twitter. It sampled 20 participants who gave their perceptions and ideals on the perceptions of misinformation. As a result, it has adopted a purposive sampling as a means of getting pertinent information to answer the initial research question. Furthermore, the study adopted a reflexive thematic analysis to analyse the perceptions of the participants and draw necessary suggestions. The study established that misinformation spreads faster than real information. It also found that misinformation has the potential to the destroy individuals’ character and organisations reputation. Consequently, it recommends that the tweep must do a background check before sharing contents on twitter amongst others. N.B: Please note that the title The tweeps’ perceptions of misinformation on Twitter in Limpopo Province, South Africa of this study was approved by the Faculty of Humanities as well as the Turfloop’s Research Ethics Committee (TREC) prior to the recent name change of Twitter as the social media platform. Notably, the change of the name from “Twitter” to “X” did not affect the key features of the platform. It mainly affected rebranding and the change of ownership. Thus, this change has not necessarily affected the aim and objectives of the study. The misinformation and fake news challenges are still topical issues in the social media space with or without the name change.