The literature pays little attention to the impact of gratifications on fake news sharing among Chinese social media users, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is rarely used in fake news research. This study investigated the relationship between gratifications and fake news sharing among Chinese users. Study 1 employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fsQCA on the questionnaire data from 315 participants. Study 2 analyzed predictions of self-reported sharing intentions in task scenarios using data from 98 new participants. The PLS-SEM revealed that instant news sharing was positively predicted by time-passing, entertainment, and socializing gratifications; and negatively predicted by information seeking. Fake news sharing is positively predicted by instant news sharing and negatively predicted by fact-checking. The fsQCA revealed three distinct antecedent configurations leading to high sharing among users, demonstrating that sharing is driven by diverse, equifinal pathways rather than a single set of common characteristics. Study 2 confirmed that self-reported sharing intention predicts sharing intention in task scenarios. Gratifications influence users’ fake news sharing through instant sharing and fact-checking, and three configurations prompt users to share fake news. These findings promote the cultural richness of the fake news-sharing research and offer practical implications.
Shao et al. (Fri,) studied this question.