Untangling social media affordances: how user autonomy shapes behavioral responses to fake news

Purpose This study examines the impact of social media affordances (SMAs) on the user response of Pakistani millennials toward fake news. This study aims to examine the impact of anonymity, visibility and metavoicing affordances over user behavior. Furthermore, this study also endeavors to investigate the moderating role of perceived autonomy in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from 503 Pakistani millennial respondents through an online survey. The authors’ used a five-point Likert scale to measure the constructs. Further partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data and test the hypothesized relationships. Findings This study reveals that anonymity and metavoicing significantly influence counter-arguing and instant-sharing behaviors, while visibility impacts instant-sharing but not counter-arguing. Perceived autonomy moderates the effects of anonymity and metavoicing on user behaviors, enhancing engagement and critical responses. However, visibility’s influence on counter-arguing is not significantly moderated by perceived autonomy. Research limitations/implications This study provides practical implications for developing media literacy programs, adjusting privacy settings and implementing robust news verification mechanisms. Originality/value This study builds upon the Affordance Theory and the Stimulus-Organism-Response model by demonstrating the role of platform design in shaping user responses toward fake news. It shifts the focus from content-centric perspectives to the influence of SMAs on user behavior.