Unraveling the complex relationship between digital literacy and the proliferation of misinformation, we delve into a recent study that challenges conventional wisdom. It appears that being digitally literate doesn't necessarily immunize one against the viral spread of false information.
Study:
A new study from MIT Sloan researchers takes a look at the role of digital literacy – familiarity with basic concepts related to the internet and social media – with mixed results
- Digital literacy is associated with more discerning judgement about what’s true and false, but it doesn’t seem to predict whether the person is more or less likely to share false information on social media
- While digital literacy was associated with a better ability to identify true versus false information, this did not translate into sharing better-quality information
Key takeaways: the limits of digital literacy and importance of focusing on accuracy
The implication is that measuring digital literacy might be useful for identifying social media users who are vulnerable to believing misinformation, but not for identifying those who are likely to spread it
- Other takeaways include the potential impact of shifting users’ attention to accuracy to reduce misinformation, and the suggestion that education aimed at reducing misinformation should focus more generally on procedural news knowledge
Digital literacy matters
The researchers used two measures to determine digital literacy: familiarity with internet-related terms and attitudes toward technology, and knowledge about how social media platforms decide which stories to show
- Digital literacy was a strong predictor of accuracy discernment and critical thinking skills
- Procedural news knowledge was a somewhat stronger predictor of being able to discern accuracy
… but it doesn’t make people less likely to share false information
The results were “strikingly different” regarding sharing discernment, or the tendency to share true news more than false news
- Researchers said this is likely due to people’s tendency to fail to consider accuracy when they think about what to share
