A STUDY ON RELIABILITY OF NEWS SHARED IN SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS (WITH REFERENCE TO WHATSAPP USERS)

Abstract

Recent studies indicate that mobile messaging apps such as WhatsApp are widely used for sharing news by consumers. Media outlets have begun to disseminate news via social media sites like Facebook and WhatsApp. When it comes to chat app news, journalists still have a lot to learn. This study compares the trustworthiness of WhatsApp news to that of other social media platforms using the Diffusions of Innovations idea. This study discusses the reliability of news received through Whatsapp and the factchecking websites used by Vellore district Whatsapp users. For this purpose, various secondary data was studied, and a structured questionnaire was circulated among the Vellore district Whatsapp users, 200 samples were collected as primary data. Analysis was made using SPSS and the statistical tool chi-square test, SEM analysis and frequency table are used to derive the result. It is found that WhatsApp users in Vellore District rely on the news shared and they also check the authenticity of the news.