Others Are More Impacted by “Fake News”! Testing Third-Person Effects on Support for Censorship Among Kenyans

The global proliferation of “fake news” on social media poses significant challenges, yet research on its perceived effects in the Global South remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining the third-person effects of “fake news” in Kenya, a context characterized by high social media usage and the prevalence of “fake news,” especially during the politically charged 2022 general election. Drawing on an online survey (N = 883), we find evidence of a self-other discrepancy, with respondents perceiving greater “fake news” effects on others than on themselves. Furthermore, third-person effects positively correlate with support for censorship, a relationship that is moderated by the perceived spread of “fake news” in Kenya. These findings extend the third-person effect hypothesis to underexplored contexts, offering insights into how “fake news” shapes attitudes toward media regulation in hybrid democracies. Implications for theory and practice in the African sociopolitical landscape are discussed.