Mudavadi examines spread of misinformation on WhatsApp in Kenya
Media School doctoral candidate Kevin Mudavadi discusses the spread of misinformation found on WhatsApp in Kenya in his recent article, “Exploring Kenyans’ interactions with misinformation on WhatsApp.” The article, which he wrote in collaboration with Melissa Tully and David Lomoywara of the University of Iowa, was published in Mobile Media & Communication on Aug. 8.
Mudavadi and his partners used interviews with Kenyan adults to conduct the study, examining participants’ perceptions of misinformation circulated on WhatsApp and its potential consequences. They found that while participants acknowledge the dangers of misinformation, they were wary of correcting it due to social pressures or perceiving it as harmless.
The study was prompted by the abundance of misinformation being spread online and a need to investigate experiences with it in more closed spaces like those found on WhatsApp.