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Author
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Anna Kresuza B. Sarmiento, Juste Codjo, Scott Fisher, Abdullah Alhayajneh
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Year
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2025
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Publisher
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Canadian Center of Science and Education
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Abstract
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This paper is a segment of a larger dissertation exploring the impact of digital media literacy (DML) skills on the
accuracy of truth discernment. The purpose of this paper is to offer broader access to the findings and contribute
to the discussions of disinformation, focusing on the significance of the accuracy of truth discernment in politics
and law. As earlier studies have examined, the influx of disinformation in the digital age was a pressing global
security threat, spreading rapidly through social media platforms. Disinformation, consisting of the deliberate
spread of falsehoods, causing chaos and confusion eroded trust in media and government, driving citizens to
believe falsehoods to be true, particularly in the absence of DML to discern the reliability of information. This
study supports earlier research, revealing that simplifying access to credible information empowers individuals to
retrieve trustworthy sources. The qualitative content analysis conducted in this study shows that DML skills shape
truth-seeking behaviors, finding high correlations between DML skills and informed political participation. The
findings of this research delineate the theoretical mechanisms of how DML skills empower individuals to engage
in civil society by synthesizing themes described by scholars within the top 100 cited sample studies selected.
Future researchers can assess the theoretical mechanisms outlined in this study to determine their effectiveness by
implementing training programs to develop foundations for informed decision-making, political participation, and
responsible sharing behavior.
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Language
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ENGLISH