FAKE NEWS DISSEMINATION ON WHATSAPP: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF EVIDENCE (2018–2024)

Abstract

The proliferation of fake news through encrypted messaging platforms poses growing challenges to digital communication governance. This paper systematically reviews scholarly evidence on how technological, behavioural, and policy factors influence fake news dissemination on WhatsApp between 2018 and 2024. Following PRISMA guidelines, 28 peer-reviewed studies were identified through Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed using search strings such as “WhatsApp misinformation”, “fake news dissemination”, “credibility”, “speed”, and “information accuracy”. Inclusion criteria comprised English-language empirical studies publishedbetween 2018 and 2024. Data were synthesised thematically across four analytical dimensions: credibility, speed, accessibility, and accuracy. Results suggest that WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, forwarding features, and group dynamics enable misinformation to circulate rapidly within trusted peer networks. Psychological factors—particularly confirmation bias, emotional triggers, and social trust—further accelerate virality. Platform interventions such as forwarding limits and message labelling mitigate spread only marginally, as users often bypass restrictions. Evidence suggests that the problem is more pronounced in regions with low media literacy, where WhatsApp serves as a primary information source. Policymakers, platform designers, and educators must collaborate to develop culturally responsive, privacy-preserving interventions. Strengthening digital literacy and integrating metadata-based detection mechanisms that can curb virality without compromising encryption. This study consolidates six years of global research, offering a comprehensive synthesis of the mechanisms, behavioural drivers, and policy gaps underpinning misinformation diffusion on WhatsApp.