Social Media and COVID-19 Rumors

(Saly Saad Goudah Ibraheim)

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Abstract

This study is intended to identify the public’s attitudes towards spreading misinformation about COVID-19 through social media sites in the Jizan region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Being a descriptive study, it depends on the survey approach. The field study was conducted using an intentional sample of those who follow the developments of the COVID pandemic through social networking websites. 300 users completed an online survey. The study found high public awareness of the meaning of “rumor,” its effects, the reasons for its proliferation, and the potential motives of its promoters. Study recommendations include the importance of confronting rumors by promoting media awareness campaigns. These campaigns can emphasize the risks of rumors to the individual and to society as a whole by confronting the rumors directly and limiting their spread.

KEYWORDS
Corona pandemic, corona rumors, electronic rumors, social media rumors, social networks, the new corona

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