Examination of fake news from a viral perspective: an interplay of emotions, resonance, and sentiments

Article


Nanath, K., Kaitheri, S., Malik, S. and Mustafa, S. 2022. Examination of fake news from a viral perspective: an interplay of emotions, resonance, and sentiments. Journal of Systems and Information Technology. 24 (2), pp. 131-155. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsit-11-2020-0257
TypeArticle
TitleExamination of fake news from a viral perspective: an interplay of emotions, resonance, and sentiments
AuthorsNanath, K., Kaitheri, S., Malik, S. and Mustafa, S.
Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that significantly affect the prediction of fake news from the virality theory perspective. The paper looks at a mix of emotion-driven content, sentimental resonance, topic modeling and linguistic features of news articles to predict the probability of fake news.
Design/methodology/approach
A data set of over 12,000 articles was chosen to develop a model for fake news detection. Machine learning algorithms and natural language processing techniques were used to handle big data with efficiency. Lexicon-based emotion analysis provided eight kinds of emotions used in the article text. The cluster of topics was extracted using topic modeling (five topics), while sentiment analysis provided the resonance between the title and the text. Linguistic features were added to the coding outcomes to develop a logistic regression predictive model for testing the significant variables. Other machine learning algorithms were also executed and compared.
Findings
The results revealed that positive emotions in a text lower the probability of news being fake. It was also found that sensational content like illegal activities and crime-related content were associated with fake news. The news title and the text exhibiting similar sentiments were found to be having lower chances of being fake. News titles with more words and content with fewer words were found to impact fake news detection significantly.
Practical implications
Several systems and social media platforms today are trying to implement fake news detection methods to filter the content. This research provides exciting parameters from a viral theory perspective that could help develop automated fake news detectors.
Originality/value
While several studies have explored fake news detection, this study uses a new perspective on viral theory. It also introduces new parameters like sentimental resonance that could help predict fake news. This study deals with an extensive data set and uses advanced natural language processing to automate the coding techniques in developing the prediction model.

KeywordsSentiment Analysis; Topic Modeling; Fake News; Emotion-focussed content; Fake content prediction; Natural language processing
Sustainable Development Goals11 Sustainable cities and communities
Middlesex University ThemeSustainability
Research GroupArtificial Intelligence group
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited
JournalJournal of Systems and Information Technology
ISSN1328-7265
Electronic1758-8847
Publication dates
Online14 Jan 2022
Print11 Apr 2022
Publication process dates
Accepted14 Jan 2022
Deposited30 Oct 2023
Output statusPublished
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1108/jsit-11-2020-0257
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85122818055
LanguageEnglish
Permalink -

https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/w254q

  • 102
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 7
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Leveraging Twitter data to analyze the virality of Covid-19 tweets: a text mining approach
Nanath, K. and Joy, G. 2023. Leveraging Twitter data to analyze the virality of Covid-19 tweets: a text mining approach. Behaviour and Information Technology. 42 (2), pp. 196-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2021.1941259
An empirical model to perceive quality of education sector in UAE schools using data analytics
Murugan, K. and Kaitheri, S. 2022. An empirical model to perceive quality of education sector in UAE schools using data analytics. 6th International Conference on Emerging Research Paradigms in Business and Social Sciences. Online - Virtual conference 24 - 26 Feb 2022
Sun shines in Dubai with Shams: A journey of renewable energy space in the United Arab Emirates
Nanath, K., Kaitheri, S. and Samdani, L. 2022. Sun shines in Dubai with Shams: A journey of renewable energy space in the United Arab Emirates. in: Sage Business Cases SAGE Publications.
Developing a mental health index using a machine learning approach: assessing the impact of mobility and lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic
Nanath, K., Balasubramanian, S., Shukla, V., Islam, N. and Kaitheri, S. 2022. Developing a mental health index using a machine learning approach: assessing the impact of mobility and lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121560
Decision-making system for higher education university selection: comparison of priorities pre- and post-COVID-19
Nanath, K., Sajjad, A. and Kaitheri, S. 2021. Decision-making system for higher education university selection: comparison of priorities pre- and post-COVID-19. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education. 14 (1), pp. 347-365. https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-08-2020-0277
Industry-academia outreach: a study of student perception
Bashir, E., Nanath, K. and Hussain, F. 2021. Industry-academia outreach: a study of student perception. International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning. 13 (4), pp. 390-409. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTEL.2021.10039716
Adoption of cloud computing in UAE: a survey of interplay between cloud computing ecosystem and its organizational adoption in UAE
Srivastava, J. and Nanath, K. 2021. Adoption of cloud computing in UAE: a survey of interplay between cloud computing ecosystem and its organizational adoption in UAE. in: Information Resources Management Association (USA) (ed.) Research Anthology on Architectures, Frameworks, and Integration Strategies for Distributed and Cloud Computing IGI Global. pp. 2496-2518
Examining post COVID-19 tourist concerns using sentiment analysis and topic modeling
Balasubramanian, S., Kaitheri, S., Nanath, K., Sreejith, S. and Paris, C. 2021. Examining post COVID-19 tourist concerns using sentiment analysis and topic modeling. Wörndl, W., Koo, C. and Stienmetz, J. (ed.) ENTER 2021 eTourism Conference. Virtual 19 - 21 Jan 2021 Springer. pp. 564-569 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65785-7_54
Individual and organizational factors affecting the implementation of Green IT: a case study of an Indian business school
Nanath, K. and Pillai, R. 2021. Individual and organizational factors affecting the implementation of Green IT: a case study of an Indian business school. Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. 87 (3). https://doi.org/10.1002/isd2.12163
Leveraging smart technologies for connected tourist experiences – the case of Dubai
Balasubramanian, S., Kaitheri, S., Nanath, K., Sreejith, S. and Paris, C. 2020. Leveraging smart technologies for connected tourist experiences – the case of Dubai. 5th International Conference on Emerging Research Paradigms in Business and Social Sciences. Middlesex University Dubai, UAE 14 - 16 Jan 2020
Decision-making system for university selection: a priority comparison of pre- and post-COVID-19
Nanath, K., Sajjad, A. and Kaitheri, S. 2020. Decision-making system for university selection: a priority comparison of pre- and post-COVID-19. The Barcelona Conference on Education (BCE2020). University of Barcelona, Spain 17 - 20 Sep 2020
Promoting academic integrity: A tale of two case studies
Kaitheri, S. 2020. Promoting academic integrity: A tale of two case studies. PAEB 2020: Plagiarism Across Europe and Beyond 2020. Dubai 17 - 19 Apr 2020 Technology and Integrity in Academia and Beyond Research Group, Faculty of Engineering & Information Sciences, University of Wollongong in Dubai. pp. 193-197
Adoption of cloud computing in UAE: a survey of interplay between cloud computing ecosystem and its organizational adoption in UAE
Srivastava, J. and Nanath, K. 2017. Adoption of cloud computing in UAE: a survey of interplay between cloud computing ecosystem and its organizational adoption in UAE. International Journal of Information Systems in the Service Sector. 9 (4), pp. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijisss.2017100101
Organization vision - Experimentation on its effective communication
Kaitheri, S. and Narayanamurthy, G. 2014. Organization vision - Experimentation on its effective communication. The Conference on Digital Experimentation (CODE@MIT). Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States
Towards a model for user technology readiness in ICT4D initiatives
Supriya, K., Sebastian, M. and Nanath, K. 2014. Towards a model for user technology readiness in ICT4D initiatives. 25th Australasian Conference on Information Systems. Auckland, New Zealand 08 - 10 Dec 2014 ACIS.
Sustainability of environmental programs: A green IT perspective
Nanath, K., Radhakrishna Pillai, R. and Supriya, K. 2014. Sustainability of environmental programs: A green IT perspective. 25th Australasian Conference on Information Systems. Auckland, New Zealand 08 - 10 Dec 2014 ACIS.
E-governance readiness: Challenges for India
Sebastian, M. and Kaitheri, S. 2013. E-governance readiness: Challenges for India. IIM Kozhikode Society and Management Review. 2 (1), pp. 31-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/2277975213496511
Systems thinking approach for transforming management education
Pillai, R. and Supriya, K. 2012. Systems thinking approach for transforming management education. Ninth AIMS International Conference on Management. Pune, India 01 - 04 Jan 2012 pp. 103-112