DISINFORMATION AND YOUNG

A BIBLIOMETRIC STUDY OF JUST OVER A CENTURY OF SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION: 1920 TO 2024

Abstract

The phenomenon of disinformation has impacted individuals and society, with attacks on universities and science, threatening the democratic system (Ribeiro, 2024). Concern about the consequences of online misinformation is present in people's daily lives worldwide. A study of respondents from 142 countries revealed that 58.5% of regular internet and social media users are concerned about online misinformation. Among them, young people and low-income individuals feel most vulnerable (United Nations, 2024). Therefore, it is important to analyze scientific production over time that addresses the relationship between disinformation and young people, especially since this group represents one of the most active segments of the population in digital environments and exposed to online risks (United Nations, 2024). Thus, the research issue relates to the attention paid to disinformation and young people in academic works over the past century, focusing on disinformation and young people. The time frame for this investigation was defined based on the oldest results retrieved by the selected database. The research problem was then defined as follows: Has international scientific literature focused on studies that address youth and disinformation? Based on this question, the general objective of this article was to conduct a bibliometric study of academic publications addressing the topic of disinformation and youth from 1920 to 2024. To achieve this goal, three specific objectives were established: a) identify articles in the literature that relate the topic of disinformation and youth in the aforementioned period; b) analyze collaboration between countries in the mapped publications; and c) analyze keywords. This article is exploratory and descriptive in nature and proposes an analysis of the survey results from a bibliometric perspective. The bibliometric analysis confirms that researchers' concern about the spread of false information is long-standing, but related concepts have been updated to reflect the increasing complexity of the phenomenon, incorporating the concepts of disinformation and fake news, as well as expanding approaches to media literacy. The health field, however, continues to dominate scientific production throughout the analyzed period. 2,352 documents published in 1,413 journals were located, demonstrating openness to the topic across a broad range of sources. Of the total articles identified, 62% are authored by at least two authors, but only 13.39% are co-authored internationally. The United States is the leading hub for international scientific production and collaboration, maintaining joint production primarily with countries in Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Western Europe, in turn, also stands out in terms of interconnections, being represented primarily by the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Therefore, opportunities can be explored in terms of research networks that encompass other regions of the world, contributing to a broader, more diverse, and deeper understanding of the phenomenon of disinformation in relation to youth in different parts of the world. It is worth remembering that the most vulnerable populations suffer the greatest impacts of disinformation and, therefore, need support; just as the particularities of the phenomenon must be understood. Just as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (2024b) emphasizes the need for collaborative solutions between governments to improve policies to address disinformation problems, alliances between academic institutions and researchers also need to be prioritized to understand and contribute to preventing and combating disinformation threats.