TikTok’s rising popularity pushes more Nepalis into fake news, misinformation, disinformation

A couple of weeks ago, Sandesh Poudel, a BBA student from Bhaktapur, was scrolling TikTok until he was stopped by a video with the caption — The coronavirus infection rate has increased again; the government is planning to impose lockdowns again.

This video was voiced over in such a way that it was a piece of TV news. Immediately after watching the video, he reposted it and sent it to some of his friends. He got worried that the situation might force him to take online classes like in the previous lockdown, which he dislikes and finds unproductive. However, later, he found that it was a piece of fake news.