ERIC Number: EJ1224483
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1618-5293
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Diversity and Credibility in Young People's News Feeds: A Foundation for Teaching and Learning Citizenship in a Digital Era
Nygren, Thomas; Brounéus, Fredrik; Svensson, Göran
Journal of Social Science Education, v18 n2 p87-109 Sum 2019
Purpose: The credibility of digital news is presently a topic of debate, and curricula underline the importance of media literacy. However, the content and credibility of young people's news feeds have not been investigated in detail in any large-scale studies. Here we explore the nature of news featured in Swedish upper secondary school students' news feeds, how news is shared, and how credible the news is according to the students. Approach: Using citizen science and a mixed methods approach we review 2617 news from authentic news feeds. Findings: The students' news feeds primarily contain hard news from established news media. News is predominately found on news domains, not through social media. Soft news is less common and is perceived as less credible. Boys find more sports while girls identify more entertainment and lifestyle news. The news feeds also contain some highly biased political information. Research limitations: The study was carried out in Sweden, and further international research on authentic news feeds is needed to view results in relation to society and educational practices. Research and practical implications: In education, students' news feeds can be used to scrutinize credibility and help students navigate towards credible news domains to support democratic engagement.
Descriptors: Credibility, Citizenship Education, Social Media, Sharing Behavior, News Media, Adolescents, Secondary School Students, Foreign Countries, Gender Differences, Political Attitudes, Bias, Democracy, Information Dissemination, Adolescent Attitudes, Access to Information, Mass Media Use, Information Sources, Economics, Social Problems, Media Literacy, Web Sites
Journal of Social Science Education. Bielefeld University Faculty of Sociology, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany. Tel: +49-521-106-3985; Fax: +49-521-106-153986; e-mail: info@jsse.org; Web site: http://www.jsse.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A