2023-12-21 03:29:50
Some 43% of Canadians find it increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and false information on the internet.
A Statistics Canada study published Wednesday compares the current situation of misinformation on the web, in 2023, to that of three years ago.
According to the report, misinformation on the internet, particularly on social networks, has increased recently.
Nearly 10% of Canadians don’t know how to check the facts they find online, while more than half say they don’t do so due to a lack of interest. The others have all already validated the veracity of information found on the web, even if less than 20% do so regularly.
Young people aged 15 to 19 are the age group least concerned regarding misinformation. Among the population surveyed, these are also those who obtain the most information on social networks. However, only 41% of adolescents said they were concerned regarding false information online.
However, a large number of Canadians, 59%, would be concerned regarding the veracity of information they find online.
In addition, people who already distrust the media would be more inclined to seek alternative sources of information.
A study from the Brookings Research Institute suggests that certain psychosocial conditions, such as loneliness and hopelessness, increase the likelihood that people will believe misinformation.
According to another Statistics Canada report published in 2021, increased use of social networks negatively affects mental health causing, among other things, more despair and loneliness.
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