Work

The Era of Fake News: Students’ Exposure, Media Literacy, and Responses

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: With the rise of technology, fake news, misinformation, and disinformation have had a significant impact on global society, largely due to the advanced digital technology and the widespread use of social media platforms, which primarily attract young users as this study examines the bridge between the Senior High School students of Mangaldan National High School in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) strand, in terms of their growth in media literacy and critical thinking abilities, and their exposure to disinformation. The research finds substantial gaps in the empirical data about HUMSS students’ readiness and preparedness to critically assess and fight false information despite the inclusion of media literacy in the national curriculum. This conclusion is supported by the body of existing literature and is contextualized by the recent news that happened in the Philippines. This study also outlines the differences between fake news, misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. As the AI Algorithm-driven news distribution and social media influencers show a rapid effect in influencing the opinion of the public and discourse of politics through case studies and current examples. a need of developing strong media literacy and critical thinking ability is crucial to the preparation of students to fight of the conditioning effects of fake news, in which fact-checking and responsible journal are crucial, By offering the evidence-based suggestions for improving the media literacy education, and informed the digital citizenship with the Filipino youth, this study the ongoing effects to SGD 4 (Quality Education) and SGD 16 (Peace, Order, and Strong Institution) of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. KEYWORDS: Disinformation; fake news; malinformation; media literacy; misinformation

Source: Journal of Education Management and Development Studies

DOI: 10.52631/jemds.v5i1.378

Author: John Wilson Nicolas

Institution: Benguet State University

Language: English

Topic: Misinformation and Its Impacts

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $50