Impact of social media fake news on social, political and ethical behavior by considering the moderating role of hostile attribution bias

Purpose This study aims to find out the impact of social media fake news on social, political and ethical behavior. The moderating role of hostile attribution bias on the relationships between social media fake news and framing social, political and ethical behavior is also investigated. Design/methodology/approach The philosophical foundation of this study is rooted in the positivism paradigm. The methodology is quantitative, and the approach is deductive. A Likert scale closed-ended questionnaire was used, and data was collected from frequent social media users through a purposive sampling technique from 390 respondents. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling was used for data analysis. Findings The finding of this study shows that social media fake news has a significant relationship with social, political and ethical behavior. The finding also shows that hostile attribution bias is also moderating the relationship of social media fake news with the social and political behavior of social media users. Research limitations/implications The results of this study have implications for both the researchers and policymakers. This study suggests that policy-makers should come forward and take steps to control the issue of social media misinformation and lessen its impact on social, political and ethical behavior. Originality/value This research integrates fake news with human behavior and extends the current understanding regarding the role of social media in shaping human behavior.