Social networks as a communication environment for young people: Information threats and European approaches

Abstract

The aim of the study is to identify linguistic tools for creating information risks in the interpersonal interaction of young people in the field of social networks and to find ways to develop adjusted countermeasures based on the European experience in the field of media literacy. The study was characterized by an interdisciplinary strategy that combined typological analysis of linguistic phenomena, mechanistic representation of cognitive processes, and comparative analysis of European media education practices. The research is based on the synthesis of forty-six scientific publications, archives of fact checking organizations, and official documents of the European Commission. Еhe three most serious risk profiles among young people were identified: emotional and psychological, cognitive and cultural, and digital and legal. It was found that the combination of emojis with youth slang constitutes the highest risk index, reaching a value of 0.92 conventional units. By increasing the level of intra-sentence code-switching by 34 percent, young people tend to believe highly questionable sources more than neutral messages. TikTok video memes proved to be the most effective in spreading disinformation among young people, reaching a score of 8.1 conventional units due to a combination of 96% spread rate and only 28% critical reflection on the content. Adolescents aged 13-16, who have an emotionally impulsive personality type and low digital literacy, demonstrate a total risk of 7.8 conventional units and are the most vulnerable group.ь The effectiveness of such an adaptation as the model of European media literacy strategies implemented in Ukraine has the potential to be 69.8-85.1% of international standards. The results of the study are used to formulate a theoretical framework focused on the development of individual educational activities aimed at combating disinformation, which would take into account the communicative behavior of adolescents in the bilingual sphere of the Ukrainian population.