Impact of digital media on misinformation and social health during the Metástasis case in Ecuador

The study analyzed the impact of digital media on the dissemination of misinformation and the configuration of social health during the “Metástasis” case in Ecuador, regarded as one of the country’s largest political and judicial corruption scandals. An exploratory and descriptive mixed-methods design was applied, combining critical discourse analysis, surveys of seven hundred users of platform X, and semi-structured interviews with two digital communication experts. In addition, sixty posts from the accounts @LaPosta_Ecu and @Primicias were collected and examined, focusing on interaction metrics such as likes, comments, reposts, and views. Results showed that the digital conversation was mainly structured around judicial corruption and drug trafficking, while the factors influencing virality included the emotional nature of content, the use of hashtags, and the presence of exclusive testimonies. Survey findings indicated that eighty-five percent of users acknowledged the influence of digital information on their opinions, although ninety percent perceived high levels of misinformation, which decreased trust in the media and reinforced social polarization. The interviews confirmed that platform X functioned as a strategic space for public debate but also as a channel for the spread of rumors and false news. In conclusion, the study highlighted the urgent need to promote media literacy policies and fact-checking mechanisms in order to protect social health and strengthen citizens’ resilience against the digital infodemic.