The phrase “2016 Democrat Primary Voter Fraud CAUGHT ON TAPE” is blaringly displayed in bright red letters at the beginning of the film. Following this, a sequence of grainy surveillance film reveals obvious cases of ballot stuffing. One hitch, though: the videos show Russian election fraud.
Did you think about jumping on the bait?
The video’s questionable origin and news pieces disproving its assertions might have been readily found with a simple Google search. Three out of four hundred forty-six high school pupils (or less than 1% of the total) were able to discern the Russian link when shown the film by Stanford researchers examining media literacy in youth.
The head of the study from 2021, Joel Breakstone, expressed his belief in the “myth of the digital native” – the idea that those who have grown up with digital gadgets are naturally better able to understand and utilize the data they generate. “The findings were disheartening.”
The shocking truth about age Z, supported by several research and our own observations, is that this most internet-dependent age is also the least good at distinguishing between online fact and fiction.
That creates a problem when younger generations rely on the internet and social media for their news. Gen Zers, who are defined as those between the ages of thirteen and twenty-six, report getting their news on social media at least three times each week. Among young adults (those between the ages of 18 and 29), 45 percent reported using TikTok as a frequent source for news.
Although news may be more easily shared on social media, there isn’t much oversight of the content’s quality. Members of Generation Z are more susceptible to being misled, even though the problem of identifying disinformation is a problem for all generations and is only going to worsen with the advent of AI. Why? There’s a feedback loop that might be harmful. Conspiracy theories and a generalized lack of trust in authority are among the most prominent mental health issues among today’s youth. As a result, many of these young people avoid traditional news sources and instead seek out isolated online communities, where they are subject to the misinformation and outright lies propagated by sophisticated algorithms. The repercussions of this form of media consumption are often considerably worse than those of previous generations, who devoted a great deal of time to mainstream outlets.
In my own social circles, I’ve noticed that some of my 20-something acquaintances start to paraphrase what they see on TikTok as if it were reality. It has been a habit of mine and my friends to inquire as to whether someone has, at the very least, searched up the topic on Google after obtaining information from a TikTok video. As a rule, the response is negative.
People encounter a wide spectrum of malicious and ridiculous disinformation on TikTok and other social media platforms: The narrative of Helen Keller, who achieved great success despite her visual and hearing impairments, was famously cast into doubt by some younger app users at one point. “Did she get any kind of money for lying her way through life??” one user asked. Social media users speculated that Democrats were responsible for the destruction of Republican-heavy areas caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year, and accusations that the government was “geo-engineering” the weather gathered momentum. The newest fad in skin care is beef tallow. Teens who are next to you may be smelling like frying oil because they have watched films that say beef fat is beneficial for your face even if experts say it’s not.
Distrust of authority figures and organizations, such as schools, the weather service, and healthcare providers, is at the heart of the many conspiracy theories that have gone viral on TikTok. Even in the media, the feeling persists: Among members of Generation Z, just 16% have complete faith in the news. So it’s not surprising that a lot of young people nowadays are getting their news from social media accounts, which frequently don’t verify anything and don’t bother to check facts.
This might have far-reaching consequences for American politics. If we don’t make a change, more and more people will believe in extreme conspiracy theories and fake news on the internet, which will further polarize our political landscape.
