ERIC Number: ED600765
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Oct
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
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Mixed Digital Messages: The Ability to Determine News Credibility among Swedish Teenagers
Nygren, Thomas; Guath, Mona
International Association for Development of the Information Society, Paper presented at the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA) (15th, Budapest, Hungary, Oct 21-23, 2018)
In this study we investigate the abilities to determine credibility of digital news among 532 teenagers. Using an online test we assess to what extent teenagers are able to determine the credibility of different sources, evaluate credible and biased uses of evidence, and corroborate information. Many respondents fail to identify the credibility of false, biased and vetted news. We identify a digital divide between people with and without the ability to determine credibility. We also find that a large proportion of the respondents struggle to identify the source of information in Sweden's most read online newspaper. Respondents struggle to determine the bias of news reports regarding racism and weight loss, but are better at debunking manipulated images. Respondents who value the importance of credible news and who indicate that they have learned media literacy in school seem to hold a mind-set helping them to determine credibility better than other respondents. Our findings provide a basis for further research of how to better understand and support digital civic literacy in classrooms and society. [For the complete proceedings, see ED600498.]
Descriptors: Credibility, Information Sources, Information Literacy, News Reporting, Computer Assisted Testing, Evidence, Bias, Deception, Racial Bias, Body Weight, Media Literacy, Foreign Countries, Multiple Choice Tests, Secondary School Students
International Association for the Development of the Information Society. e-mail: secretariat@iadis.org; Web site: http://www.iadisportal.org
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
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Language: English
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Identifiers - Location: Sweden
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