Global Journal of Human-Social Science, A: Arts and Humanities, Volume 22 Issue 4

Portugal and Mexico: An Analysis of Fake News in Times of Covid-19 Pandemic Natália Gomes α & Rebeca Garzón-Clemente σ Abstract- This article aims to identify the use, and the frequency of use of social networks in Portugal and Mexico, in times of pandemic, and in two regions of each country, respectively: Guarda and Chiapas, trying to understand if their citizens consider them a valid and reliable source of information. The study demonstrates the erratic behavior of social network users when they have been questioned about how they have obtained and validated certain information, in this case about false news about COVID-19, leading to the importance of establishing a global strategy for countries to achieve digital literacy and minimize the impact of Fake News. Keywords: social networks, fake news, covid-19 pandemic. I. I ntroduction he information society has made it possible to reinforce the creation and distribution of information, generating new opportunities for human beings to more accurately and consciously understand the world around them. Information and combined data are now the most precious asset for human beings, even though this combination and understanding are increasingly complex and machine- oriented due to its exponential growth. In Portugal, ever since the 1990s, and in conjunction with the European Union, several initiatives have taken place that has made it possible for this country to be at the forefront in implementing initiatives that foster the Information Society. Among many objectives and initiatives, we highlight the modernization and digitization of services, generalized access to the Internet, broadband, and even, fundamentally, the offer of various training processes regarding the use of Information and Communication Technologies. These training processes make it possible to improve inclusion, digital literacy, and safe Internet browsing by the Portuguese population. Fundamental training processes aim to reduce the digital illiteracy that still exists. In Mexico, throughout the years, various actions have been implemented which have facilitated aspects related to the availability and flow of information in different sectors of society: the creation of a library and information infrastructure at a national level; the development of new information policies; the development of legislation and documentary standardization; as well as the strengthening of technological infrastructure, and telecommunications networks. Of the various initiatives related to establishing an Information Society in Mexico, the National Information Policy stands out, including the creation of the National Information Infrastructure, the development of digital information services and policies related to technological infrastructure, fostering the development of data networks infrastructure, the stimulus of scientific and technological research in computer science, among others. According to data from 2020, 78.26% of the Portuguese, out of a total population of 10.31 million inhabitants, used in 2020 the Internet (Marktest, Bareme Internet 2020; ITU, 2021). In the first half of 2021, 74.9% of the Portuguese population accessed the Internet through smartphones (Marktest, Utilização de Internet por plataformas, 2021), and 88.0% of Portuguese families had access to fixed broadband services at their residence, during the same period (ANACOM, 2021). Regarding Mexico, it is estimated that around 90 million people use the Internet. The most common device for Internet access is the smartphone, with over 100 million active profiles on social networks. In 2021, relative to 2020, Mexico showed a loss of 407 thousand connections, representing a decrease of 0.4% in mobile device connections. However, the percentage of Internet users rose by 4%, adding 3.5 million new users (Alvino, 2021). According to OECD data, between June 2019 and June 2020, Mexico was the third member country with the highest annual growth in fixed broadband penetration, increasing 7.4%. For the reference period, fixed broadband access through fiber optics in Mexico grew 23.6% (OCDE, 2021). It should also be noted, as part of the set of measures adopted by the Portuguese and Mexican Governments to address the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the schools, from the different study cycles, which migrated to a process of online learning intending to minimize the impact of the health contingency on the teaching-learning process. It has been verified that the most frequent Internet users in 2020 and 2021 have been students. This sudden change to distance learning caused an increase in Internet traffic compared to the same semester of the previous year. T © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue IV Version I 21 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 A Author α : CI & DEI-ESTG-IPG, Portugal. Author σ : Universidad Autónoma De Chiapas, México. e-mail: rebeca.garzon@gmail.com