Abstract
The presence of “fake news” and potentially manipulative content in the media is nothing new, but this area has largely expanded with the emergence of the Internet and digital media, thus opening itself up to anyone who has online access. As a result, there is an increasing amount of such content in the media, especially in digital media. This paper deals with the perception of fake news and potentially manipulative content by various generations—in particular, the perceptions of the young and the middle-aged generations, with the focus being on their ability to recognise, verify, and relate to such content. The results of this study were gained by means of a qualitative methodology applied to focus groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results are presented through a thematic analysis of the differences in perception of “fake news” between these generations, firstly in terms of their apprehension and interpretation of it, and secondly in terms of their relation to it. The authors conclude that both generations lack competence concerning media literacy, and that providing education in the field of digital media might offer a long-term solution for building resistance to “fake news” for future generations.
Highlights
Taking the social significance of digital media1 [1] and the opportunities it offers in disseminating various content as a starting point, it is necessary to emphasise its role in spreading fake news and disinformation alike
Half of young respondents think that social media is not a credible source of information and that it is the main channel for spreading fake news
A thematic analysis of a generational approach to “fake news” and potentially manipulative content shows the justification of the application of this approach to the research, since differences in the perception and experience of and relation to this content are evident between members of the young and middle-aged generations
Summary
Taking the social significance of digital media1 [1] and the opportunities it offers in disseminating various content as a starting point, it is necessary to emphasise its role in spreading fake news and disinformation alike This type of content is not a new phenomenon and not solely a product of digital media either: “The problem of information credibility is nothing new” [2] It is evident that various forms of digital media, in a technical sense, have great potential to spread and multiply information, they are not the sole carrier.The exponential growth of content that has a primary intention of deception or manipulation represents one of the threatening features of the contemporary digital environment2 To what extent this content is widespread is obvious from the reference to the past decade as being “fake news” [6] Having recognised disinformation as a serious threat to democratic processes, security, and the welfare of citizens, the European
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