Xavier Bringué

Este estudio analiza la relación entre el uso de herramientas de inteligencia artificial generativa, la confianza en distintas fuentes informativas y la probabilidad de compartir información falsa en la comunidad educativa. A partir del análisis secundario de una encuesta online realizada en España en enero de 2025 (N = 922) en el marco del VI Estudio de Empantallados y GAD3 sobre educación e inteligencia artificial, se examinan las diferencias entre alumnado, familias y profesorado en el uso de ChatGPT, la confianza depositada en esta herramienta y en las redes sociales, así como las prácticas de verificación y la capacidad percibida para detectar errores. Los resultados muestran una brecha clara entre familiaridad tecnológica y prudencia informativa: el alumnado utiliza ChatGPT con mayor frecuencia y confía más en esta herramienta, pero no presenta niveles superiores de verificación, mientras que el profesorado adopta una posición más cauta. Los análisis multivariantes revelan, además, una dinámica ambivalente de la confianza: aunque una mayor confianza en la IA se asocia con una mayor facilidad percibida para detectar errores, también puede reducir la verificación efectiva. Por último, los modelos de regresión logística indican que el uso de ChatGPT se asocia con una mayor probabilidad de haber compartido información falsa, mientras que la confianza en redes sociales emerge como el predictor positivo más fuerte de esta conducta. En conjunto, los resultados sugieren que los comportamientos relacionados con la desinformación dependen tanto del uso de herramientas de IA generativa como de los marcos de confianza y de los hábitos informativos de los usuarios.

This experimental study analyzes the effect of media literacy on the ability of Spanish seniors over 50 years of age to identify fake news. The experiment measures the improvement achieved by older adults in the detection of political disinformation thanks to a digital competence course offered through WhatsApp. The study comprises a total sample of 1,029 individuals, subdivided into a control group (n = 531) and an experimental group (n = 498), from which a qualified experimental subsample (n = 87) was extracted. Results reveal that participants’ political beliefs, ranging from left to right positions, influence their ability to detect misinformation. A progressive political position is associated with higher accuracy in identifying right-biased news headlines and lower accuracy for left-biased headlines. A conservative position is associated with higher accuracy when the news headline has a progressive bias, but lower accuracy when the headline is right-wing. Users are more critical when the headline has a bias against theirs, while they are more likely to believe news that confirms their own beliefs. The study adds evidence on the relevance of cognitive biases in disinformation and supports the convenience of designing specific media literacy actions aimed at older adults.

According to recent studies, most of the Spanish population identifies disinformation as a social problem and believes that it could endanger democracy and the stability of the country. In this context, many institutions point out the need for media literacy campaigns and initiatives that alleviate the possible harmful social effects of the phenomenon, especially among vulnerable audiences. While children and young people are the continuous target of this type of action, few so far have targeted the elderly. This article analyzes the effectiveness of a training action to increase the ability to detect false news in this age group. A 10-day course was designed, and a sample of 1,029 individuals over 50 years of age residing in Spain who are smartphone users was selected. Participants were divided into an experimental group (n=498), who were invited to take the course, and a control group (n=531). An ex ante and ex post study was carried out to determine the effects of the course on their ability to detect false news. The results reveal that those who took the course were more successful in identifying the news as true or false than the members of the control group. The results confirm the opportunity and convenience of designing media literacy actions aimed at those over 50 years of age, a social group particularly exposed to disinformation.

The crisis triggered by the effects of Covid-19 has created a new context for work among journalists. High unemployment rates in Europe, particularly worrying among the youth, are yet another reason to think about working conditions in the media sector, which has been considered crucial to the health of democratic societies. The practice of communication professions has privileged activity, production, and fast publication, which now takes place in multiple media, mobile and social platforms. According to different research, distrust in media content seems to be growing. Is there a relationship between these two problems? Are there ways in line with the anthropology of work that could help to regain trust? The academic literature has studied the crisis of trust in institutions and has also explored the work of journalists. However, there are not many studies that bridge the structural crisis of trust in the media and the working conditions of professionals. This article seeks to contribute to alleviating this gap. It proposes three possible lines of argument to develop the anthropological keys to the work of journalists: a recovery of time, making research the working method; a primacy of audiences; and a need to stress the personal growth of professionals.