Noticias falsas, redes sociales y coronavirus: efectos en pobladores del cantón Pasaje, año 2020.

Abstract

The objective of this research was to analyze the effects caused by misinformation and false news about the coronavirus in the citizens of the Pasaje 2021 canton. To carry out this study, residents of the “Herederos Saldaña” Lotization of said city were taken as a population sample. Therefore, the multiple news broadcasts on social networks led to a massive information overload. As a result of direct observation, we realized that, since the Ecuadorian government, through the Official Gazette Supplement 163 of March 17, 2020, Executive Decree No. 1017, by which the state of exception is declared due to public calamity in The entire national territory, therefore, people have suffered panic, depression and fear when reading news, especially in digital media. For this reason, one of the main problems is that not everything that circulates on the network is true, since there are many false news or fake news. This research seeks to analyze the effects that false news about Covid-19 produced on people, during the period December 2020 to April 2021. It seeks to determine why people could not identify the falsehood of certain news they learned through of social networks and with this specify some positive and negative aspects that the pandemic is leaving. In addition, a characterization of the object of study is presented, based on the contextualization, research carried out, current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic; based on some concerns regarding the problem addressed, where the justification for carrying out this degree work is born. Based on a qualitative-quantitative methodology, through the application of various techniques: stakeholder surveys, interviews with specialists on human behavior and dialogues with communication experts. The qualitative-quantitative methodology used, a feasible method for the object of study, since it was possible to know the consequences that the chosen sample will read false news, in addition, interviews were applied to know the criteria of professional experts in psychology. In the same way, a mediation or filter proposal is proposed, the citizen's use of misinformation, obtained from interviews with information and journalism professionals who put forward some techniques to determine whether a news item is false or true. Also, a virtual survey was carried out in Google drive - form, to a total of 269 people from said lotization, in which the following formula was used: nZ22Ne2 (N-1) + Z22. An explanation application on the effects and changes of attitude in people during confinement is sought, as well as some strategies to learn to recognize false news. It is concluded that misinformation and the spread of unverified or unverified news, more evident in digital media and social networks, can lead the reader or listener to interpret the information provided in different ways, causing fear, fear, uncertainty and emotional instability, therefore, media literacy is necessary to face this reality and this work seeks to contribute to it.