Twitter, Instagram, Facebook info is factually correct? Check answer
As many as 54 per cent of people in India turn to social media when looking for factual information, according to a global study by Oxford University Press (OUP). The research-led campaign 'The Matter of Fact' looked at the level of understanding of how truths are identified and sources validated.
Despite concerns around misinformation and false claims, social media users around the world continue to believe that the information they read and share on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook is factually correct, with levels of trust highest in emerging economies, the study said.
The findings show that when looking for factual information, 37 per cent turn to social media, rising to 43 per cent of Mexicans and South Africans and 54 per cent of Indians. Britons were less likely to look for facts using social media, with only 16 per cent describing it as a preferred source, compared to nearly three in 10 (29 per cent) Americans.
Overall, most of us rely heavily on Google and other search engines for information, with two thirds (67 per cent) worldwide and 62 per cent in the UK finding facts this way. Three-quarters of people are confident information they share from social media is accurate.
In India, as many as 87 per cent of people who share information from social media are confident in its truthfulness, slightly above the global average of three quarters, it said.
The study takes a broad look at how people across the world seek out information and judge its accuracy, drawing on a pool of evidence bolstered by survey data collected from 5,000 people across the UK, the US, South Africa, India, and Mexico.
It found that more than half (52 per cent) said that when it came to distinguishing fact from fiction,
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