Africa's alarming reliance on social media for news has created a perfect storm for disinformation. With 84% of survey respondents saying they depend on social media as their primary news source, mostly on Facebook (80%), the continent is becoming increasingly vulnerable to fake news.

A recent survey by IT security company KnowBe4 has shed light on the alarming dependence of Africans on social media for news consumption, leaving them vulnerable to disinformation. Experts are stressing the need for media literacy to combat the spread of misinformation.

Fake news

In South Africa, the widespread dissemination of misinformation is making it increasingly challenging to distinguish between real and fake information, particularly during significant events like elections.

advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove adsThis concern was highlighted by Nomshado Lubisi-Nkosinkulu, communications manager at Media Monitoring Africa, during a webinar hosted by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) on the recent elections. She noted that the "explosion of information" makes it difficult to discern accurate information, highlighting the need for vigilance and media literacy to combat the spread of fake news.

Sanef's response

Reggy Moalusi, executive director at the South Africa National Editors' Forum (Sanef) emphasised the need to address misinformation and disinformation, saying "misinformation and disinformation continues to be a big problem, particularly on social media. We have seen a consistent rise of these scourges, that purposefully mislead and are...