Mis/Disinformation in Malaysia’s Digital Ecosystem: An Integrative Review of Socio-Informational Patterns
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21070/kanal.v14i2.1852Keywords:
fake news, digital literacy, identity-based disinformation, deepfakes, media and information literacyAbstract
The alarming surge of mis/disinformation in Malaysia reflects a form of information disorder shaped by the nation’s digital platform dynamics, ethno-political sensitivities, and contested legal responses. This nexus gives rise to distinctive socio-informational patterns in how false narratives are constructed, diffused, and addressed. Understanding these patterns is critical for effective intervention. This integrative literature review synthesizes findings from 15 peer-reviewed articles to identify and critically examine key socio-informational patterns. The study draws on interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks, including Diffusion of Innovations, Intergroup Threat, and Securitization theories, alongside the psychological concept of confirmation bias, to analyze how technological, psychological, and political factors influence Malaysia’s mis/disinformation landscape. Three emerging socio-informational patterns stand out: rapid digital diffusion of false content, instrumental use of identity-based narratives, and an ongoing struggle between securitized legal control and public resistance. The findings show that algorithm-driven amplification on social media platforms significantly accelerates the spread of mis/disinformation within Malaysia’s hyperconnected society. Besides, disinformation is strategically employed to amplify ethnic and religious divisions, a dynamic further intensified by emerging technologies such as AI-generated deepfakes, posing significant challenges to public trust, social harmony, and democratic resilience. While legislative tools like the Anti-Fake News Act 2018 have proven controversial and limited in effect, citizen-centric mitigation efforts, such as media and information literacy initiatives, are becoming increasingly recognized as more sustainable and practical solutions. The review concludes by calling for continuous, localized educational initiatives and future research that explores how community-driven interventions can strengthen information integrity in diverse societies.
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Epp, C. R. (2009). Making rights real: Activists, bureaucrats, and the creation of the legalistic state. University of Chicago Press.
Fake news, online provocations dropped after GE15 campaign period. (2022, November 24). Bernama. https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2141842
Fallis, D. (2015). What is disinformation? Library Trends, 63(3), 401–426. https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2015.0014
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Islam, M. S., Kamal, A.-H. M., Kabir, A., Southern, D. L., Khan, S. H., Hasan, S. M. M., Sarkar, T., Sharmin, S., Das, S., Roy, T., Harun, M. G. D., Chughtai, A. A., Homaira, N., & Seale, H. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine rumors and conspiracy theories: The need for cognitive inoculation against misinformation to improve vaccine adherence. PLOS ONE, 16(5), e0251605. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251605
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Loomba, S., de Figueiredo, A., Piatek, S. J., de Graaf, K., & Larson, H. J. (2021). Measuring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on vaccination intent in the UK and USA. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(3), 337–348. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01056-1
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Neyazi, T. A., Nadaf, A. H., Tan, K. E., & Schroeder, R. (2024). Does trust in government moderate the perception towards deepfakes? Comparative perspectives from Asia on the risks of AI and misinformation for democracy. Government Information Quarterly, 41(2), 101980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2024.101980
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Rafizi’s Tabung Haji claims example of why we need fake news law. (2018, April 3). New Straits Times. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/04/352017/rafizis-tabung-haji-claims-example-why-we-need-fake-news-law
Rogers, E. M. (1983). Diffusion of innovations (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Free Press.
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Rozwan, I. D., Husin, A. K., Nazri, A. S., Zainal, N. A., & Hassan, M. S. (2023). The impact of fake news on political leaders: Reputation, policies and public perception. e-Journal of Media & Society, 6(2), 43–54.
Sabri, S. A., & Abdul Rahim, N. R. (2023). Ethical implications of fake news: A meta-analysis through the lens of Islamic teachings. Al-i’lam: Journal of Contemporary Islamic Communication and Media, 3(2), 157–168.
Saharrudin, N. F., Ahmad Ghazali, A. H., Ismail, I. A., Arshad, M. M., Mohd Zawawi, J. W., & Wan Mokhtar, W. I. (2023). Reasons for fake news dissemination: A systematic review. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(17), 284–302. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v13-i17/19836
Shoib, M. R., Wang, Z., Ahvanooey, M. T., & Zhao, J. (2023). Deepfakes, misinformation, and disinformation in the era of frontier AI, generative AI, and large AI models. AI & Society, 38(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2311.17394
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Social media posts on unrest all false, say police. (2015, July 16). Malaysiakini. https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/305323
Stephan, W. G., & Stephan, C. W. (2000). An integrated threat theory of prejudice. In S. Oskamp (Ed.), Reducing prejudice and discrimination (pp. 23–45). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Tandoc, E. C., Lim, Z. W., & Ling, R. (2018). Defining 'fake news': A typology of scholarly definitions. Digital Journalism, 6(2), 137–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2017.1360143
Tapsell, R. (2023). Social media and Malaysia's 2022 election: The growth and impact of video campaigning. Pacific Affairs, 96(2), 303–322. https://doi.org/10.5509/2023962303
The threat of deepfake to Malaysia. (2019, July 19). The Malaysian Reserve. https://themalaysianreserve.com/2019/07/19/the-threat-of-deepfake-to-malaysia
Torraco, R. J. (2005). Writing integrative literature reviews: Guidelines and examples. Human Resource Development Review, 4(3), 356–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484305278283
Tsao, S. F., Chen, H., Tisseverasinghe, T., Yang, Y., Li, L., & Butt, Z. A. (2021). What social media told us in the time of COVID-19: A scoping review. The Lancet Digital Health, 3(3), e175–e194. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(20)30315-0
Vaccari, C., & Chadwick, A. (2020). Deepfakes and disinformation: Exploring the impact of synthetic political video on deception, uncertainty, and trust in news. Social Media + Society, 6(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120903408
Wæver, O. (1995). Securitization and desecuritization. In R. D. Lipschutz (Ed.), On security (pp. 46–86). Columbia University Press.
Wan Hashridz Rizal Wan Abu Bakar, Abdul Rauf Ridzuan, Mohd Sufiean Hassan, & Fahmi Zaidi Abd Razak. (2025). Exploring fake news sharing among Malaysian university students: Role of uses and gratification theory. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 10(SI26), 21–26. https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v10iSI26.6788
Wan, C., Waheed, M., Zawawi, J. W. M., & Hellmueller, L. (2023). The framing of anti-fake news law in Malaysian newspapers. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(3), 1208–1224. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i3/16557
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Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policymaking. Council of Europe. https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-toward-an-interdisciplinary-framework-for-researc/168076277c018.1502047
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Published
2026-02-06
How to Cite
Lee, K. T. W., & Sau, Z. X. (2026). Mis/Disinformation in Malaysia’s Digital Ecosystem: An Integrative Review of Socio-Informational Patterns. Kanal: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 14(2), 175–184. https://doi.org/10.21070/kanal.v14i2.1852
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Copyright (c) 2026 Kenneth Tze Wui Lee, Zhi Xin Sau
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
