| dc.contributor.author | Ndavula, John | |
| dc.contributor.author | Munuku, Anne | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-06-09T11:49:23Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-06-09T11:49:23Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Ndavula, J., & Munuku, A. (2025). Diffusion of COVID-19 Misinformation in Kenyan X Conversations. International Journal of Communication and Public Relation, 10(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.47604/ijcpr.3166 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2520-7989 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://doi.org/10.47604/ijcpr.3166 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://repository.mut.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/6544 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Purpose: The study set out to explore the role of X
conversations in the spread of misinformation about
the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya.
Methodology: The study was guided by the Rumor
Theory. The study adopted a descriptive survey
design which allowed the researchers to collect data
without interacting with participants. Data was
collected from existing online records of
conversations on X and other relevant websites such
as the Ministry of Health. The data was sourced from
hashtags and tweets related to the COVID-19
pandemic in Kenya, posted in the period from March
2020 to April 2021. The hashtags and tweets were
mined using the free API tool for geolocated tweets.
16 hashtags and 200 tweets were selected for the
study. Quantitative data was analyzed using
descriptive statistics while qualitative data was
analyzed using content analysis under classified
themes.
Findings: The findings of the study indicate that
none of the hashtags created by Kenyans was framed
to spread misinformation but the tweets under the
different hashtags analyzed contained
misinformation. Findings also indicate that verified
X handles were involved in either creating or
spreading COVID-19 misinformation. Additionally,
false claims were found to diffuse faster than
partially false claims as observed in the tweets with
misinformation. Compared to a background corpus
of COVID-19 tweets, tweets with misinformation
were more often concerned with discrediting other
information on social media.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and
Policy: We recommend that the government and
stakeholders in health ought to counter COVID-19
misinformation online, and equip users with basic
digital literacy skills regarding consumption of
online information while continuously monitoring
online discourses. A policy on online health
communication needs to be developed and
implemented. | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | International Journal of Communication and Public Relation | en_US |
| dc.subject | COVID-19, Diffusion, Misinformation, Hashtags, Rumor, Social Media | en_US |
| dc.title | Diffusion of COVID-19 Misinformation in Kenyan X Conversations | en_US |
| dc.type | Article | en_US |
