Disinformation, influencers and learning: redefining knowledge in the digital age

Abstract

The immediacy and speed of information does not automatically imply that all the data accessed is true, reliable or necessary. Inside and outside the classroom, it is common for students to do less research and prefer to obtain information from content generators, that is, celebrities and influencers whom some people consider opinion leaders, which can prevent critical thinking from developing when the Misinformation can disrupt social behavior, as well as the practical usefulness of knowledge as a tool for progress. This text raises a reflection on the use that digital generations give to social networks as sources of information and how the modernity of social interaction entails challenges in education to teach students how to select valuable data to direct them to a more realistic interpretative approach to the facts and new knowledge useful in their daily lives. The exploration of this topic proposes that, although access to information has always been in a minimum or large proportion, the digital generations take it up individually or collectively according to their consumption needs, experiences, pre-knowledge, references, or influencers, which could give or subtract credibility to what was learned.