Perfiles de consumo informativo ante la desinformación: exposición y reacciones ante una información sospechosa.

Pablo Pastora Estebanez; Livia García Faroldi

doi:10.31921/doxacom.3519

Authors

Pablo Pastora Estebanez University of Malaga https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4629-4860
Livia García Faroldi https://ror.org/036b2ww28 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7816-7562

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.3519

Keywords:

Incidental news consumption, News avoidance, Generative artificial intelligence, social media, fact-checking

Abstract

This article analyses news consumption profiles and their relationship with the suspicion of having encountered false information, as well as the reactions adopted in response to such suspicion. Using data from a representative survey (n = 1,550), three consumption profiles are identified through cluster analysis. Subsequently, logistic regression models are estimated to examine the likelihood of suspecting exposure to disinformation and of responding by cross-checking information in traditional media, consulting fact-cheking sources, or taking no action. The results show that profiles characterised by higher digital consumption display a greater probability of suspicion, but not necessarily a higher likelihood of active responses. Political interest emerges as the main predictor of proactive reactions, while passivity is particularly concentrated among digital profiles with low informational interest. These findings suggest that the management of disinformation is unevenly distributed across the citizenry, disproportionately relying on the most politically engaged sectors, thereby reinforcing inequalities within the digital public sphere.

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Author Biographies

Pablo Pastora Estebanez, University of Malaga

PhD student at the University of Málaga. He holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Granada and an MA in Applied Sociology from the University of Málaga. He previously worked as a researcher on the Andalusian project "Impact of Disinformation in Andalusia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Audiences, Journalistic Routines, and Media Agendas (Desinfoand)". He is currently a researcher in the national project "Journalistic Applications of AI to Reduce Disinformation: Trends, Uses, and Perceptions among Professionals and Audiences (DESINFOPERIA)". His research interests focus on disinformation, artificial intelligence and its impact on journalism and audiences, polarization, and conspiracy theories. He approaches these topics from the perspective of computational sociology, integrating data analysis and computational models to better understand complex social phenomena.
Livia García Faroldi, https://ror.org/036b2ww28

Associate professor in Sociology at the University of Málaga. Her research focuses on public opinion, using both national and international surveys. She has studied support for the European integration process, how that support interacts with different political identities, and how anti-European discourse is linked to xenophobia. Her most recent lines of research analyse the digital divide in political participation, as well as public opinion regarding fake news and the spread of disinformation among citizens. She has led, together with Laura Teruel, the Excellence Project "Impact of disinformation in Andalusia: cross-sectional analysis of audiences and journalistic routines and agendas. DisinfoAND" (ProyExcel_00143, PAIDI 2020) and edited the open access book Mass Media Facing Disinformation: Artificial Intelligence, Hate Speech, Conspiracy Theories, and Fact-Checking, published by Tirant.

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