Preliminary communication
CHALENGES OF INTERNET INFORMATION SPACE: HOW DO CROATIAN CITIZENS PERCEIVE FAKE NEWS ISSUE?*
Antun Biloš
orcid.org/0000-0003-1676-5959
; Ekonomski fakultet u Osijeku, Sveučilište Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku, Gajev trg 7, 31000 Osijek, Hrvatska
Abstract
The immense possibilities of Internet network and information space have been motivating research related curiosity of both scientific and professional scope for many years. However, along with the fascinating capabilities of the global digital transformation, a number of new concerns have been raised, imposed by the very same transformation. There are truly many issues of Internet information space, while the root of many of those lies in the speed of generating new data and information which directly results in enormous information overload. The data quantity generated in 60 seconds of Internet interactions is ofter being used as an illustration of the information space size: more than 3,8 million queries on search engines, more than 188 million e-mails sent, more than a million Facebook logins and 87 thousand Tweets, more than 4,5 million videos watched on YouTube are just a fragment of activities of every Internet minute with a clear tendency of growth. One of the biggest issues of contemporary Internet information space is the fake news phenomenon in the wider context of Internet misinformation. The term fake news is frequently defined as the intentional presentation of misleading or false information in order to manipulate the cognitive processes of the targeted audience. The topic has certainly stirred-up the interest and influenced the research efforts as well as reconsideration of scientific responsibility in many different fields and areas but also aroused concerns of many organizations, public figures, and individuals alike. This paper uses an adjusted Eurobarometer research methodology organized by the Directorate-General for Communication “Media monitoring, Media Analysis and Eurobarometer” Unit within the European Union. Eurobarometer research was carried out in 28 EU Member States with a total sample of 26.576 respondents from different social and demographic groups, and the primary data access was enabčed through the Gesis database. The total of 1005 respondents from the Republic of Croatia was filtered from the initial dataset in order to create the primary sample for the research. The main research goals are to test the levels of trust in news and information accessed through different channels, the frequency of encountering the fake news, perception of the significance of fake news problem and the responsibilities of the institutions and the media in acting to stop the problem.
Keywords
fake news; internet; information space
Hrčak ID:
236267
URI
Publication date:
15.3.2020.
Visits: 2.387 *