Media Literacy Against Disinformation: A Study on Communication Faculty Students in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

This article aims to determine the media literacy levels and disinformation awareness of students studying at the faculty of communication at a state university in Kyrgyzstan. The study examines whether media literacy levels vary based on demographic variables such as gender, age, class, and university, as well as the impact of taking a media literacy course on this awareness. The research adopts a quantitative method, and a 24-item 5-point Likert-type questionnaire was administered to 253 students aged between 17 and 23. The data were analyzed using SPSS, and the reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was found to be 0.932. According to the findings, individuals have a low level of associating media events with their daily lives. Although no statistically significant difference was found in terms of gender, women scored higher than men. Unexpectedly, students who took the media literacy course had lower scores. The highest media literacy level was observed in the 22 age group, while the lowest was in the 20 age group. Fourth-year students had the highest scores, and third-year students the lowest. Among the universities, Cusup Balasagun Kyrgyz National University had the highest media literacy level, while BUGU University had the lowest. As a result, media literacy education should be updated, adapted to age and level, expanded to include family education, and incorporate methods that foster critical thinking. This type of education stands out as a strategic tool in combating disinformation.

Keywords

• Media Literacy
• Disinformation
• Digital Literacy Self
• Self Esteem
• Stress
• Coping with Stress
• Stress Management

Dezenformasyona Karşı Medya Okuryazarlığı: Kırgızistan’da İletişim Fakültesi Öğrencileri Üzerine Bir Araştırma

Abstract

Makalede, Kırgızistan’daki bir devlet üniversitesinin iletişim fakültesinde öğrenim gören öğrencilerin medya okuryazarlığı düzeylerini ve dezenformasyon farkındalıklarını belirlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada, medya okuryazarlığı düzeylerinin cinsiyet, yaş, sınıf, üniversite gibi demografik değişkenlere göre farklılık gösterip göstermediği ve medya okuryazarlığı dersi almanın bu farkındalık üzerindeki etkisi incelenmiştir. Nicel yöntemin benimsendiği araştırmada, 5’li Likert tipi 2 sorudan oluşan bir anket 17-23 yaş aralığındaki 253 öğrenciye uygulanmış ve veriler SPSS programında analiz edilmiştir. Anketin güvenilirlik katsayısı 0,932 olarak bulunmuştur. Bulgulara göre bireylerin medyada karşılaştığı olayları günlük yaşantısına bağdaştırma düzeyi düşüktür. Cinsiyet bakımından anlamlı bir fark bulunmamış; ancak kadınların puanları erkeklerden yüksektir. Medya okuryazarlığı dersi alanların puanları beklenenden düşüktür. En yüksek medya okuryazarlığı 22 yaş grubunda, en düşük 20 yaş grubunda gözlemlenmiştir. 4. sınıf öğrencilerinin düzeyi en yüksek, 3. sınıfın ise en düşük bulunmuştur. Üniversiteler arasında ise en yüksek düzey Cusup Balasagun Kırgız Milli Üniversitesi’ne, en düşük düzey ise BUGU Üniversitesi’ne aittir. Sonuç olarak, medya okuryazarlığı eğitiminin içeriği güncellenmeli, yaş ve düzeye uygunlaştırılmalı; ailelere yönelik eğitimler artırılmalı ve eleştirel düşünceyi geliştiren yöntemler uygulanmalıdır. Bu eğitim, dezenformasyonla mücadelede stratejik bir araç olarak öne çıkmaktadır.

Keywords

• Medya Okuryazarlığı
• Dezenformasyon
• Dijital Okuryazarlık

References

1. Álvarez-Daza, N., Pico-Valencia, P., Holgado-Terriza, J. A. (2021). Fake news detection based on machine and deep learning in social media: A brief systematic review. RISTI: Iberian Journal of Information Systems and Technologies, (E41), 632–645. http://www.risti.xyz/issues/ristie41.pdf
2. Chesney, R., Citron, D. (2019). Deepfakes and the new disinformation war: The coming age of post-truth geopolitics. Foreign Affairs, 98(1), 147–155.
3. Dame Adjin-Tettey, T. (2022). Combating fake news, misinformation, and disinformation: Experimental evidence for media literacy education. Cogent Arts and Humanities, 9(1), 2037229. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2022.2037229
4. Evanega, S., Lynas, M., Adams, J., Smolenyak, K. (2020). Coronavirus misinformation: Quantifying sources and themes in the COVID-19 “infodemic.” Cornell University Press.
5. Flynn, D. J., Nyhan, B., Reifler, J. (2017). The nature and origins of misperceptions: Understanding false and unsupported beliefs about politics. Political Psychology, 38(Suppl 1), 127–150.
6. Gil de Zúñiga, H., Correa, T., Valenzuela, S. (2012). Selective exposure to cable news and immigration in the U.S.: The relationship between FOX News, CNN, and attitudes toward Mexican immigrants. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 56(4), 597–615. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2012.732138
7. Habes, M., Elareshi, M., Mansoori, A., Pasha, S., Salloum, S. A., Al-Rahmi, W. M. (2023). Factors demonstrating media dependency and online misinformation sharing in Jordan. Sustainability, 15, 1474. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021474
8. Hwang, Y., Ryu, J. Y., Jeong, S.-H. (2021). The effects of misinformation using deepfake: The protective effect of media literacy education. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 24(3), 188–193. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.0174

9. Jack, C. (2017). Lexicon of lies: Terms for problematic information. Data & Society Research Institute.
10. Koçak, B. (2011, July). Perceptions of primary school seventh and eighth grade students towards media literacy course (Case of Erzurum Province) [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Atatürk University.
11. Kouzy, R., Abi Jaoude, J., Kraitem, A., El Alam, M. B., Karam, B., Adib, E., Zarka, J., Traboulsi, J., Akl, E. W., Baddour, K. (2020). Coronavirus goes viral: Quantifying the COVID-19 misinformation epidemic on Twitter. Cureus, 12. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.7255
12. Livingstone, S. (2018). Media literacy and the challenge of new information and communication technologies. Communication Review, 7(1), 3–14.
13. Lukito, J. (2020). Coordinating a multi-platform disinformation campaign: Internet Research Agency activities on three U.S. social media platforms, 2015–2017. Political Communication, 37(2), 238–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2019.1661889
14. Masip, P., Suau, J., Ruiz-Caballero, C. (2020). Media perceptions and misinformation: Ideology and polarization in the Spanish media system. El Profesional de la Información, 29(5). https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.sep.27
15. Murphy, K. M. (2023). Fake news and the probability network. Social Media + Society, 9(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231170606
16. Paker, K. O. (2009). Representations of children and media literacy education. In S. İ. Akçalı (Ed.), Children and media (pp. 129–155). Nobel Publishing.
17. Quandt, T., Frischlich, L., Boberg, S., Schatto-Eckrodt, T. (2019). “Fake news.” The International Encyclopedia of Journalism Studies. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118841570.iejs0128
18. Roozenbeek, J., van der Linden, S. (2019). The fake news game: Actively inoculating against the risk of misinformation. Journal of Risk Research, 22(5), 577. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2018.144349
19. Ulu Aslan, E., Baş, B. (2022). Eğlence amacına duyarlı medya okuryazarlığı ölçeğinin geliştirilmesi. Ana Dili Eğitimi Dergisi, 10(1), 74-88.