EXAMINING THE AWARENESS AND USE OF FACT-CHECKING PLATFORMS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

This research paper aims to examine the level of awareness and self-reported use of dedicated fact-checking platforms among the university going students in Pakistan. The research explores the everyday information encountering practices of students and the perceived usefulness of fact checking platforms, concerns about misinformation, and students’ interest in getting training about the usage of such platforms. The study employs a quantitative research approach and an online survey among 200 students belonging to different public and provide universities has been conducted through Google Forms. The collected data has been analyzed using frequencies and percentages. 66.7% of the respondents reported that they had not heard of any of the listed fact-checking platforms, while just 16.7% said they had used a dedicated fact-checking platform. Instagram and WhatsApp are the most frequently named places to encounter current-affairs information. It is also found from the data that 72.2% of the participant were either very or extremely concerned about misinformation. Lack of knowledge about fact-checking platforms was the most frequently selected barrier (72.2%) that hinders the popularity and usage of fact checking platform among the university students. The students expressed their interest in learning more fact checking platforms through training and workshops. The results show a gap between concern about misinformation and familiarity with specialist verification services among the university level students. The findings provide a small-scale preliminary indication further guide the data collection and media and information literacy activities among the Pakistani university students.