Perception of information credibility on social media among slovenian youth

Vedno zgodnejša uporaba družbenih omrežij in poplava nepreverjenih informacij iz različnih kanalov pripelje do pomanjkanja orodij za ocenjevanje prejetih informacij. Še posebej ranljiva kategorija so mladostniki, saj se psihološki procesi pri njih odvijajo drugače. Bolj zaupajo vrstnikom in pomembna jim je družbena potrditev. Raziskovali smo, ali prisotnost hiperpovezave in pokroviteljstva ter družbena potrditev vplivajo na zaznavanje verodostojnosti informacij v objavah na družbenem omrežju Facebook. Med zadnjo triado mariborskih osnovnošolcev smo izvedli anketni vprašalnik in prejeli 176 odgovorov, izmed katerih smo upoštevali le uporabnike Facebooka (n = 52). Ugotavljamo, da je družbeno omrežje Facebook veliko manj uporabljano, kot smo pričakovali. Podatek sledi svetovnim trendom upadanja uporabe tega družbenega omrežja med mladostniki. Ugotovili smo, da prisotnost hiperpovezave in družbene potrditve pozitivno vpliva na verodostojnost sporočila objave, medtem ko pokroviteljstva nanjo ne vplivajo. Rezultati so pomembni predvsem za starše, učitelje in druge akterje v izobraževanju mladostnikov. Izjemno pomembno je poznavanje dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na zaznavo verodostojnosti informacij med mladostniki, da so jih zmožni sami prepoznati in primerno reagirati.Earlier use of social media and a flood of unverified information lead to a lack of tools required to evaluate received information. The youth are particularly vulnerable as their psychological processes differ from ours. Social validation is important to them and they are more inclined to trusting their peers. We have been researching if hyperlinks, sponsorships, or social validation influence the perception of credibility of information on the social network Facebook. We have sent out a questionnaire to the students of the final three years of primary school and received 176 answers, of which we have only operated with Facebook users (n = 52). We have discovered that the social network Facebook is less used than expected. This information coincides with the global trend of Facebook use decline among the youth. We have concluded that the presence of a hyperlink and social validation positively influence the credibility of the post\u27s message, while sponsorship did not prove to influence the credibility of the post. The results are relevant for parents, teachers, and others involved in the education of youth. It is incredibly important that they are aware of the factors that influence the perception of credibility of information among the youth, as it allows them to recognize them and react accordingly