A new Nordic study points to significant gaps in adults’ understanding of the difference between editorial media and social media platforms. According to the study, around one in five adults in the Nordic countries believe that Facebook has an editor-in-chief who can be held responsible for the content on the platform.
The result comes from the Nordic Media Literacy Survey, which was prepared by the Danish Medierådet for Børn og Unge (Media Council for Children and Young People) in cooperation with media authorities in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland.
In the study, Facebook is used as an example of social media platforms, and the misunderstanding about editorial responsibility is interpreted as a sign of a lack of basic knowledge about how digital platforms differ from journalistic media.
At the same time, the study shows that many people experience general difficulties navigating the media landscape. Among other things, one third of Danes say they find it difficult to assess which media they can trust. Among children and young people, nearly half of the Danish respondents point out that generative artificial intelligence makes it harder to distinguish between true and false content online.
The chair of the Media Council for Children and Young People, Miriam Michaelsen, calls the result regarding Facebook “alarming” in a press release and points out that it underscores the need for stronger media literacy across age groups and national borders.
The study is based on responses from a total of just under 13,000 respondents in the Nordic countries and is the first comprehensive mapping of media literacy in the Nordic region. The full report and the complete methodology can be read via the Media Council for Children and Young People.
Key findings from the study
- One in five respondents in the Nordic countries (aged 16+) believe that Facebook has an editor-in-chief who is responsible for the content. Among 25–34-year-olds, it is one in four.
- One third of adults aged 16–44 in the Nordic countries think it is difficult to stay up to date and process news.
- More than half of respondents in the Nordic countries use social media to keep up with news on a daily basis, and three out of four do so weekly.
- Four out of ten respondents in the Nordic countries refrain from commenting on posts on social media for fear of being attacked.
- One in three Danes find it difficult to determine which media they can trust.
- Just under half (44 per cent) of young Danish respondents (aged 9–15) believe that generative AI makes it harder to figure out what is real and what is false online.
Source: Medierådet for Børn og Unge (DK)