Fake News in Developing Countries: Drivers, Mechanisms and Consequences

Fake news has become a global problem. Drivers in the spread of fake news include the growth of the world wide web and the growth in the use of smartphones and social media. In the field of ICT4D, access to mobile phones and the internet has strongly been promoted in developing countries, for the sake of socio-economic development. However along with the availability and use of mobile technology, the Internet and social media in developing countries, the prevalence and risk of fake news have also increased. While many studies have been performed on fake news, most of these have been done in the Global North. This study attempts to address this gap by investigating the state of knowledge of fake news in the Global South. A systematic literature review is performed that focuses on the spreading and consequences of fake news in developing countries. A thematic analysis found that, like in the Global North, fake news in the Global South is predominantly spread by means of social media. The consequences of the spreading of fake news in developing countries include an increased mistrust in mainstream media, as well as a mistrust in various vaccines which leads to a health risk. Further, fake news has been shown to contribute to violent unrest and to worsen religious crises. Fake news poses the risk of undermining the benefits associated with increased connectivity in developing countries. This is a call for the ICT4D community to consider ways to address the risk of fake news.