TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding the role of fear of missing out and deficient self-regulation in sharing of deepfakes on social media
T2 - Evidence from eight countries
AU - Ahmed, Saifuddin
AU - Ng, Sheryl Wei Ting
AU - Bee, Adeline Wei Ting
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 Ahmed, Ng and Bee.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Deepfakes are a troubling form of disinformation that has been drawing increasing attention. Yet, there remains a lack of psychological explanations for deepfake sharing behavior and an absence of research knowledge in non-Western contexts where public knowledge of deepfakes is limited. We conduct a cross-national survey study in eight countries to examine the role of fear of missing out (FOMO), deficient self-regulation (DSR), and cognitive ability in deepfake sharing behavior. Results are drawn from a comparative survey in seven South Asian contexts (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and compare these findings to the United States, where discussions about deepfakes have been most relevant. Overall, the results suggest that those who perceive the deepfakes to be accurate are more likely to share them on social media. Furthermore, in all countries, sharing is also driven by the social-psychological trait – FOMO. DSR of social media use was also found to be a critical factor in explaining deepfake sharing. It is also observed that individuals with low cognitive ability are more likely to share deepfakes. However, we also find that the effects of DSR on social media and FOMO are not contingent upon users’ cognitive ability. The results of this study contribute to strategies to limit deepfakes propagation on social media.
AB - Deepfakes are a troubling form of disinformation that has been drawing increasing attention. Yet, there remains a lack of psychological explanations for deepfake sharing behavior and an absence of research knowledge in non-Western contexts where public knowledge of deepfakes is limited. We conduct a cross-national survey study in eight countries to examine the role of fear of missing out (FOMO), deficient self-regulation (DSR), and cognitive ability in deepfake sharing behavior. Results are drawn from a comparative survey in seven South Asian contexts (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and compare these findings to the United States, where discussions about deepfakes have been most relevant. Overall, the results suggest that those who perceive the deepfakes to be accurate are more likely to share them on social media. Furthermore, in all countries, sharing is also driven by the social-psychological trait – FOMO. DSR of social media use was also found to be a critical factor in explaining deepfake sharing. It is also observed that individuals with low cognitive ability are more likely to share deepfakes. However, we also find that the effects of DSR on social media and FOMO are not contingent upon users’ cognitive ability. The results of this study contribute to strategies to limit deepfakes propagation on social media.
KW - Asia
KW - cognitive ability
KW - deepfakes
KW - disinformation
KW - FOMO
KW - self control
KW - self-regulation
KW - sharing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85150512030&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85150512030&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1127507
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1127507
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85150512030
SN - 1664-1078
VL - 14
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
M1 - 1127507
ER -