scholarly journals Fake News Reaching Young People on Social Networks: Distrust Challenging Media Literacy

Publications ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Ana Pérez-Escoda ◽  
Luis Miguel Pedrero-Esteban ◽  
Juana Rubio-Romero ◽  
Carlos Jiménez-Narros

Current societies are based on huge flows of information and knowledge circulating on the Internet, created not only by traditional means but by all kinds of users becoming producers, which leads to fake news and misinformation. This situation has been exacerbated by the pandemic to an unprecedented extent through social media, with special concern among young people. This study aims to provide significant data about the youngest generation in Spain (Generation Z) regarding their media and information consumption, their social network use, and their relationship with fake news, all in relation to the feeling of reliability/trust. Focusing on a convenience sample of 408 young Spanish students from Generation Z aged 18 to 22, a descriptive exploratory study is presented. Data collection was performed with an adapted questionnaire. Results show that young Spanish people use networks for information, showing a surprising lack of trust in social networks as the media they consume the most. The content they consume the most since the occurrence of COVID-19 is related to politics, entertainment, humor, and music. On the other hand, distrust of politicians, media, and journalists is evident. The conclusion is that media literacy is still more necessary than ever, but with the added challenge of mistrust: maybe it is time to rethink media literacy.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-208
Author(s):  
Ana Pérez-Escoda ◽  
◽  
Gema Barón-Dulce ◽  
Juana Rubio-Romero ◽  
◽  
...  

The explosion of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a major transformation in media consumption and the use of social networks. New habits and extensive exposure to connected devices coupled with unmanageable amounts of information warn of a worrying reality, especially among the younger population. The aim of this research is to discover the degree of trustworthiness of Generation Z towards the media, their media consumption preferences and the association they make between media consumption and fake news. Using a descriptive and exploratory quantitative methodology, a study is presented with a sample of 225 young people belonging to this population niche. The study addresses three dimensions: media consumption, social networks and perception of fake news. The results show that generation Z is an intensive consumer of the media they trust the least and perceive traditional media as the most trustworthy. The findings indicate that social networks are the main source of information consumption for this ge­neration, among other content, despite also being the least trustworthy and the most likely to distribute fake news according to their perceptions. There is a lack of media literacy from a critical rather than a formative perspective.


Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Dragana Trninić ◽  
Anđela Kuprešanin Vukelić ◽  
Jovana Bokan

The presence of “fake news” and potentially manipulative content in the media is nothing new, but this area has largely expanded with the emergence of the Internet and digital media, thus opening itself up to anyone who has online access. As a result, there is an increasing amount of such content in the media, especially in digital media. This paper deals with the perception of fake news and potentially manipulative content by various generations—in particular, the perceptions of the young and the middle-aged generations, with the focus being on their ability to recognise, verify, and relate to such content. The results of this study were gained by means of a qualitative methodology applied to focus groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results are presented through a thematic analysis of the differences in perception of “fake news” between these generations, firstly in terms of their apprehension and interpretation of it, and secondly in terms of their relation to it. The authors conclude that both generations lack competence concerning media literacy, and that providing education in the field of digital media might offer a long-term solution for building resistance to “fake news” for future generations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 411-429
Author(s):  
Maria José Brites ◽  
Cristina Ponte

This article argues for the need to pay attention to the dynamics of refusing and rejecting the use of media to better understand a highly mediatized consumer society. The theoretical background utilizes resistance to the media, family contexts of socialisation and mediated society. We analysed 18 interviews carried out in Portugal – undertaken as part of wider research project involving 40 young people and their families, on their relationship with the media regarding citizenship rights –, which showed signs of non-use of media. This article characterises these individuals, their contexts and motives. Through identifying refusal of the internet, social networks, news and television, we arrive at distinct five types: “I do not like and I do not want to use”; “At this stage of life, no!”; “Split between I can’t have and I can’t buy it”; “I don’t want to draw attention to myself and don’t want to get ‘hooked’”; and “Doing something different and doing it better”.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (SPE3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rashid Tazitdinovich Mukhaev ◽  
Olga V. Shevchenko ◽  
Olga Dudina ◽  
Anatoly Vasilyevich Denikin ◽  
Zoya Dmitrievna Denikina

The relevance of the study topic is not only due to the very fact of the unauthorized gatherings in Russia on 24 and 31 January and 2 February, in which many young people, including minors, took part. The protests were inspired by the "Western mentors" of the Russian non-systemic opposition. It is equally important to understand the underlying reasons for the high involvement of young people in the protests in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Western sanctions regime that has been running for seven years. The objective of the study is to analyze the causes, anatomy, technologies, and forms of protest representations of contemporary youth in Russia. The authors focus on the behavioral patterns of young people, the mechanism and content of which are now forming in the Internet space with the help of social networks. The means of recognizing social reality, markers of evaluation and its interpretation by the youth audience, and an algorithm for action are set by the Internet and social networks. Today, in many ways, Western digital giants determine the media consumption patterns, media behavior, and social practices of Russian youth. In this situation, it is important for the Russian state not to restrict access to the Internet but rather to shape a high political media culture among modern youth.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Ranny Rastati

In 2017 the majority of internet users are 19-34 years old or 49.52% (APJI, 2017). Almost half of the internet users in Indonesia are digital natives who were born after 1980: Generation Y (1980-1995) and Generation Z (1996-2009). This research will be focused on Generation Z as the true generation of the internet. Generation Z was born when the internet is available, a contrast to Generation Y who is still experiencing the transition of the internet. The purpose of this research is to find an effective way of providing information about media literacy to Generation Z. Through descriptive qualitative, the study was conducted with in-depth interview and observation toward 12 university students in Jakarta. The results showed that there are four effective ways of providing information about media literacy which is i) videos distributed to social media such as Youtube and Instagram, ii) interesting memes in communicative style, iii) through selebgram or micro-celebrity in Instagram who is consider as a role model and have a positive image, and iv) roadside billboards. Another interesting finding is that male informants tend to like media literacy information through videos and memes, while female informants prefer campaigns conducted by positive image selebgram and billboard. AbstrakPada tahun 2017 pengguna internet di Indonesia mayoritas berusia 19-34 tahun yaitu sebanyak 49,52% (APJI, 2017). Dari data tersebut terlihat bahwa hampir sebagian pengguna internet di Indonesia adalah digital natives atau penutur asli teknologi digital yaitu orang-orang yang lahir setelah tahun 1980: Generasi Y (1980-1995) dan Generasi Z (1996-2009). Penelitian ini akan difokuskan kepada Generasi Z karena mereka dianggap sebagai sebenar-benarnya generasi internet. Generasi Z lahir saat teknologi tersebut sudah tersedia, berbeda dengan Generasi Y yang masih mengalami transisi teknologi hingga menuju internet. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mencari tahu cara yang efektif dalam memberikan informasi mengenai media literasi kepada generasi Z. Metode yang digunakan adalah deskriptif kualitatif dengan observasi dan wawancara mendalam. Informan berjumlah 12 orang mahasiswa di Jakarta. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ada empat cara yang efektif dalam memberikan informasi mengenai media literasi yaitu i) video yang disebarkan ke media sosial seperti Youtube dan Instagram, ii) meme menarik dengan bahasa yang mudah dimengerti, iii) melalui selebgram yang menjadi panutan dan berimage positif, dan iv) papan iklan di pinggir jalan. Temuan menarik lainnya adalah informan laki-laki cenderung menyukai informasi media literasi melalui video dan meme yang disebarkan ke media sosial, sementara perempuan lebih menyukai kampanye yang dilakukan oleh selebgram berimage positif dan papan iklan.


Author(s):  
Elena Nikolaevna Malik

The article reveals the role of the institute of mass media on the processes of forming political consciousness and socio-political guidelines of young citizens in modern Russia. The problems of hygiene of media policy, media literacy and improving the information culture of young people remain relevant and archival, given the new challenges of world politics and the geopolitical situation. The author argues that media education technologies to increase the media literacy of young citizens contribute to the realization of their socio-political subjectivity and initiative in the interests of the state and civil society.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Raihan Nasution

In this digital era, young people are very vulnerable to negative things, therefore Islam as a religion which is rahmatan lil alamin, must take appropriate and fast actions to save young generations of Islam from getting lost in the darkness of cyberspace life. This article is prepared with a library research approach by conducting a literature review and collecting data from various sources and subsequently, the data is analyzed descriptively by presenting facts or findings which are then theoretically reviewed. Therefore da’wah of digital era really must use the media, especially new media. The development of communication technology has changed the way people communicate and interact. Nowadays, almost everyone uses the internet to send, search, and read information. Therefore, the Qur’an Surah An-Nahl: 125 offering da'wah methods of digital era have to be able to attract sympathetic Millennials, presenting representative, interactive and innovative da'wah methods through social media is the best way to save the young generations of Islam in the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 462-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Elías ◽  
Daniel Catalan-Matamoros

The communication of the Coronavirus crisis in Spain has two unexpected components: the rise of the information on social networks, especially WhatsApp, and the consolidation of TV programs on mystery and esotericism. Both have emerged to “tell the truth” in opposition to official sources and public media. For a country with a long history of treating science and the media as properties of the state, this very radical development has surprised communication scholars.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Valchanov ◽  

The development of the Internet and social media and networks as a media environment and communication channels combined with the specificity of the journalistic profession in the online environment are a factor which contributes to the emergence and proliferation of fake news. The lack of reliable fact checking by the media and the fast news consumption by the public lead to mass disinformation about certain issues or subjects. The current paper examines fake news from several points of view and describes the models of their use – as harmless jokes, as lack of journalistic competence or professionalism and as means of manipulation and intentional misleading of public opinion. The attempts of big media corporations to fight fake news are also described.


2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-128
Author(s):  
M. Zhumagulov ◽  

In the proposed article, the author describes the content and directions of the forms of influence of mass media and social networks on the legal culture of young people. Due to the fact that the media and social networks are carriers of modern information, scientific works and their own expert approaches were presented in determining their role in the dissemination of legal knowledge, legal education, legal propaganda. The mass media actively act as a means of conducting legal education among young people. The mass media and the Internet, which inform young people about illegal actions and conduct propaganda on the way to raising the level of legal culture as the main factor in preventing it, are an important tool for combating lawlessness. Conducting legal educational work among young people through the media is the main requirement for the creation of a rule of law State and civil society.


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