The majority of social media influencers share information with their followers without verifying its accuracy, according to a new UN study. report It was released on Tuesday.
A new study conducted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) shows that nearly two-thirds, or 62%, of digital content creators surveyed do not check the accuracy of their information before sharing it with their followers. It turns out that he answered. online.
This comes after a recent Pew Research Center poll found that about one in five Americans, or 21 percent, get their news from social media influencers. . For those under 30, that number rose to 37%.
In a UNESCO study, nearly a third (33.5 percent) said they would share content without checking to see if they trust the source or creator. Approximately 37% of online influencers said they checked content before distributing it to their audience.
Research has found that popularity, or the number of likes, shares and views on online content, is the primary way creators scrutinize the credibility of sources. More than 4 in 10 content creators (41.6%) use popularity to determine the trustworthiness of online sources.
Just over 20% of creators judged the credibility of an online source based on whether it was shared by a trusted expert or friend. The third most common method, at 19.4%, was to look at the reputation of the publisher or author. About 17 percent relied on documents or evidence to assess credibility.
“As audiences increasingly rely on digital content creators to access information, the need for creators to prioritize accuracy becomes even more important. “This can lead to skepticism and disengagement from believers,” the researchers wrote.
The survey was conducted after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, in which both major party candidates, Vice President Harris and President-elect Trump, are using social media to share their messages and reach new voters. In some cases, they relied on media influencers.
According to a UNESCO study, nearly six in 10 creators (58.1%) used their own personal experiences and encounters as a source of content. According to the survey, nearly four in 10 people (38.7%) said their sources of information were either their own research or interviews with people familiar with the subject.
The survey was conducted between August and September of this year among 500 content creators from 45 countries around the world. Influencers were required to have at least 1,000 followers.
