(ORDO NEWS) — Many people think that they can easily distinguish fake from the truth on the Internet. However, a new study shows that not everyone sees the truth.
Today, it is especially important to correctly perceive and read information on the network. Alas, not everyone can
British TV and radio regulatory agency Ofcom surveyed more than 13,000 Britons about their internet habits, device use and attitudes towards social media.
While 7 out of 10 adults (69%) said they were confident they could easily tell a fake from the truth, only 1 in 5 (22%) were able to correctly identify the signs of a genuine media message.
This pattern was even more striking among adolescents (ages 12-17): 74% said they were confident, but only 11% were able to tell fact from fiction.
Overall, the study found that 30% of adults who go online are unsure or don’t even think about the veracity of the information they see online. Another 6%, or roughly one in 20 Internet users, believe everything they see online.
Ofcom warned that the “massive amount” of information available online means that having critical skills and the ability to identify information that may be false or biased “has never been more important.” After all, 500 hours of content is uploaded to YouTube every minute, and 5,000 videos are viewed on TikTok.
Both adults and children overestimate their ability to spot misinformation on various social media platforms, according to Ofcom.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.