Developing an Original Theoretical Framework for Digital Misinformation Resistance in Multilingual Nigerian Online Communities

Existing theories of misinformation resistance, including motivated reasoning theory, inoculation theory, and the illusory truth effect, were developed in largely monolingual, Western media contexts that inadequately account for the linguistic code-switching, ethnic information silos, and religious authority communication structures that characterise Nigerian digital communities. This study developed an original theoretical framework for digital misinformation resistance in multilingual Nigerian online communities. The framework development employed a multi-stage methodology: systematic review of misinformation resistance theory across 87 publications from 2018 to 2024, qualitative grounded theory fieldwork with 52 participants across Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo-dominant WhatsApp communities in six states, and expert validation through a two-round Delphi consultation involving 24 communication scholars and digital literacy practitioners. The systematic review identified critical theoretical gaps including the role of ethnic identity in selective misinformation acceptance, the linguistic trust architecture of code-switched information, and the mediating role of religious authority in fact assessment. Grounded theory analysis generated five original theoretical constructs: linguistic trust anchoring, ethnic credibility attribution, religious arbitration of facticity, cross-ethnic information firewall formation, and community-based counter-narration. The resulting Nigerian Multilingual Misinformation Resistance Framework integrates these constructs into a processual model specifying conditions under which each mechanism operates. Expert validation confirmed the framework's theoretical novelty and practical applicability across all six geopolitical zones. The framework constitutes an original contribution to misinformation theory and informs culturally appropriate digital literacy interventions for Nigerian online communities.

Keywords: misinformation resistance, multilingual communities, Nigeria, theoretical framework, digital literacy