Misinformation Trends and Fact-Checking Practices on Safaricom Kenya’s Twitter: An Online Content Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47672/ajc.2782Keywords:
Misinformation, Fact-Checking, Twitter, Corporate Communication, Media Richness Theory, Kenya, Safaricom, Social MediaAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to understand the proliferation and management of misinformation on Safaricom Kenya's official Twitter account from January to June 2025, focusing on trends and fact-checking methodologies within a substantial corporate social media framework.
Materials and Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods online content analysis examining tweets, replies, and retweets pertaining to misinformation. There were rumors about service outages, prices, and claims of security breaches, among other things. Some ways to check facts were found, like using multimedia to make things clearer and giving the right answers. The coding was correct because the intercoder reliability was high, and the engagement metrics showed how people interacted with the content.
Findings: The study found that the main reasons people spread false information were technical problems and false advertising. The communication team at Safaricom quickly sent out fact-checking messages that used multimedia to back up Media Richness Theory. More people interacted with these fact-checking posts, but some users were still not sure. The study used misinformation cognition frameworks to show how false beliefs can last even after efforts are made to correct them. This shows how difficult it is to deal with misinformation in African corporate digital communication.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Recommendations emphasize the necessity of proactive, multimodal fact-checking and enhanced digital literacy initiatives to enhance organizational communication. This study fills a gap in the literature by providing empirical evidence and strategic insights on corporate Twitter communication and misinformation management in the African context.
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