When faced with content, what do young people do to avoid disinformation?
A study on criteria used by audiences in Salvador and Porto Alegre (Brazil)
Abstract
Brazilians are among the most vulnerable populations when faced with the phenomenon of disinformation. In a survey of 21 countries (OECD, 2024), Brazilians were the most likely to believe in false content. This poor performance was repeated in the national survey (CGI, 2024). Given this, this article focuses on the topic of disinformation, from the perspective of young people, who are considered one of the groups most at risk of being impacted by the phenomenon (United Nations, 2024). The discussions presented here are based on unpublished data from an empirical investigation with young people, aged 18 to 29, from two Brazilian state capitals: Salvador (Bahia) and Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul). The online questionnaire, answered by 486 young people, addressed whether they paid attention to the source of the information, the date of publication, the authorship and the context, as well as the use of fact-checking websites and their interest in learning more about disinformation. This is an applied study, using a qualitative approach and an exploratory-descriptive objective, based on data from quantitative research. The results reveal gaps in the fact-checking of information by the interviewees and a desire to learn more about how to prevent and combat disinformation. The development of critical thinking and methods for investigating sources of information and content are recommended.
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