Desinformação em grupos sociais : estudo sobre mídias, opinião e fake news nas engenharias

Abstract

It is clear that information permeates people’s daily lives, relying on a variety of means that facilitate its acquisition. However, it is important to emphasize that these means sometimes fail to fulfill their purpose; instead of informing, they end up misinforming. In light of this, this study aims to investigate the main technologies adopted by students in the Engineering courses (Civil, Mechanical, and Production) at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) Russas campus to stay informed. Simultaneously, it analyzes the behavior of these students in situations involving fake news. To achieve this objective, an electronic questionnaire composed of multiplechoice questions covering topics such as social media, fake news, and strategies to combat misinformation was administered. After data collection, a quantitative analysis was conducted, presented through graphs, to deepen the understanding of how students position themselves regarding the search for reliable information. The analysis provided valuable insights into the information habits of students, highlighting social media as the primary channel for obtaining information. Remarkably, traditional media such as newspapers and digital magazines emerged as sources perceived as more reliable compared to social platforms. It was observed that criteria such as the presence of multiple sources within the news and the verification of information consistency across different traditional media play a crucial role in evaluating the truthfulness of news. These results, among others, were essential in achieving the proposed objectives of the research.