Media Competencies in the Dissemination of Fake News About Covid-19 through Social Networks: Cases of Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia.

This research is considered pertinent due to the historical moment that humanity is going through and that demands that researchers from various sciences, including the field of communication, delve into the study and understanding of some aspects of receiving and sending information through social networks in times of crisis. . Through a quantitative study, with a cross-sectional, exploratory, descriptive and correlational design, it is intended to find out if there is a statistical relationship between the variables media competencies and the dissemination of fake news related to Covid-19 through social networks. The dimensions of media competence proposed by Pérez-Tornero and Varis (2012) and an additional one developed by Ferrés & Piscitelli (2012) will be used as theoretical support for the analysis. In addition, four dimensions to measure fake news proposed by Pineda et al. (2020). As part of the study, it is intended to give a critical and reflective look at the role of social networks in the dissemination of information related to the field of health, specifically Covid-19, a role that could somehow be taken into account in preventive health actions of the population and in the success of communication strategies promoted by governments and entities in charge of pandemics at the global level, such as the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization. The relevance of this research lies in understanding the way in which the main variables of this research behave in populations of Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. One of the most important innovations of this research is the creation of a quantitative measurement instrument that will be developed to specifically address the issue of Covid-19, which has managed to significantly disrupt our society. The possible beneficiaries of the results of this study may be the health organizations responsible for ensuring the health of the population, governments, academic entities, and scholars of communication phenomena in an interdisciplinary manner.

General Objective: Analyze whether media skills influence the dissemination of fake news about Covid-19 through social networks in populations of Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. Specific Objectives: 1. Know the theoretical approaches and existing studies on the variables under study in order to establish specific analysis criteria and support for research.2. Develop a quantitative methodology and innovative measurement instrument to measure fake news and media competence in the context of Covid-19.3. Evaluate the perception of the selected population with the collection of data and in which the variables established in the investigation will be analyzed.4. Make a comparative analysis with the results obtained from the population from Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia

Contribute to the substantive understanding of the role of fake news and media skills in the dissemination of information about Covid-19 in the Latin American context, a contribution that can serve as support for the governments of the region and institutions in charge of the plans of action related to managing the pandemic. Expected Products-1 ISI WOS or Scopus article accepted Result of new knowledge generation activity according to Colciencias classification-1 Book chapter Result of new knowledge generation activity according to Colciencias classification-4 Presentations at event scientific Product results of activity of social appropriation of knowledge according to the Colciencias classification.-1 Social communication of knowledge Presentation of the results on the UdeM radio station according to the Colciencias classification. The group leaders of the other countries will be able to present the results in their respective institutions.