Information Literacy Commons^™

Generation Z And The Ai Misinformation Paradox: Understanding A New Digital Vulnerability, Cecilia Cooley, Elizabeth Sperber

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

This paper asks: How and why is Generation Z more vulnerable to AI-generated misinformation and disinformation than older generations? Using a comparative review of recent empirical studies, survey data, and meta-analyses from 2019–2025, this paper synthesizes research on Gen Z’s exposure to and interaction with AI-produced content across social media platforms. Although it is commonly assumed that Gen Z ’s technological exposure and fluency make them better equipped to recognize false information, findings show the opposite: Gen Z is consistently outperformed by older cohorts in detecting AI-generated falsehoods. This vulnerability stems from three intersecting factors: (1) the sheer volume of …

Moving Beyond Willpower: A New Direction For Media Literacy Instruction, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Academic librarians and others often engage with media literacy instruction by promoting fact-checking strategies, such as lateral reading or Mike Caulfield’s SIFT. Evidence shows that these strategies are valuable and can be effective, but they all ultimately rely on individual students to use willpower to overcome cognitive habits, biases, strong parasocial relationships with content creators, the power of algorithms, and other challenges to fact-checking content in the moment. This paper offers an alternative approach that instead encourages librarians to support students in intentionally redesigning their information environments to improve the quality of information that they encounter in the first place.

Miss Me With That Misinformation: A Content Analysis Of Library Websites’ Resources Against Misinformation, Cheyenne Brady

SLIS Connecting

From the C.R.A.A.P. test to webinars and videos on how to fact-check properly, it is now more important than ever that librarians aid patrons in sharpening their critical analysis skills, especially through passive means. However, on that front, are all library websites created equal? This research examined programming and resources related to information and digital literacy through a content analysis of public and academic library websites.

Addressing The Pitfalls Of Misinformation In The Classroom Through Game Based Learning, Taylor S. Strong, Jerome Bingham

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

As instruction librarians we must strive to strengthen students' literacy when it comes to research. Only a 3rd of American high school students are graduating with the necessary reading and math skills needed for college-level classes. In conjunction with these low reading levels.The current and incoming students are a part of the Gen-Z or Zoomer generation.One of the largest problems Gen Z students face in their daily lives is combating misinformation. The University of Virginia in conjunction with the University of Cambridge conducted a recent study about generations and misinformation. Only 11% of 18 to 29 year olds earned a …

Erosion Of Trust In Online Information, Tirth Desai

A with Honors Projects

Researching how AI spreads misinformation and impacts trust in information.

"I Don't Think Librarians Can Save Us": The Material Conditions Of Information Literacy Instruction In The Misinformation Age, Amber Willenborg, Robert Detmering

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This national qualitative study investigates academic librarians’ instructional experiences, views, and challenges regarding the widespread problem of misinformation. Findings from phenomenological interviews reveal a tension between librarians’ professional, moral, and civic obligation to address misinformation and the actual material conditions of information literacy instruction, which influence and often constrain librarians’ pedagogical and institutional roles. The authors call for greater professional reflection on current information literacy models that focus on achieving ambitious educational goals but which may be unsuitable for addressing the larger social and political crisis of misinformation.

Building Media Literacy In Adolescence: A Cognitive Behavioral Clinician's Manual To Combat Misinformation And Misdiagnosis During Sessions, Patricia Sacchetti

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This paper examines the role of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in countering misinformation that youth encounter on social media and other informal sources, with the goal of creating a manual for mental health clinicians. The use of CBT by clinicians working with adolescents to combat the issue of misinformation and misdiagnosis has received little attention in the literature. Mental health clinicians’ knowledge of media literacy as a psychological construct can foster an effective treatment style by building upon the foundation of well-established theory and practice, such as CBT. CBT is a multifaceted treatment that can help guide mental health clinicians …

From Cynicism To Trust: Strategies For Teaching Students Source Evaluation Skills, Mandi Goodsett, Melanie Gagich

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Concerns about the spread and adoption of misinformation abound, and academic librarians have played a part in trying to stem the tide through information literacy instruction. However, teaching students how to evaluate sources can be complicated—teaching fact-checking skills may be insufficient if it increases students’ overall cynicism about information ecosystems. This study explores how teaching fact-checking and lateral reading skills, along with instruction about “bias filters,” can help to reduce the cynicism of first year writing students, while also increasing their misinformation detection skills. Results are mixed, but teaching about the information creation process and “bias filters” is especially promising. …

From Cynicism To Trust: Strategies For Teaching Students Source Evaluation Skills, Mandi Goodsett, Melanie Gagich

Communications in Information Literacy

Concerns about the spread and adoption of misinformation abound, and academic librarians have played a part in trying to stem the tide through information literacy instruction. However, teaching students how to evaluate sources can be complicated—teaching fact-checking skills may be insufficient if it increases students’ overall cynicism about information ecosystems. This study explores how teaching fact-checking and lateral reading skills, along with instruction about “bias filters,” can help to reduce the cynicism of first year writing students, while also increasing their misinformation detection skills. Results are mixed, but teaching about the information creation process and “bias filters” is especially promising. …

Who Falls For Online Misinformation: Examining The Cognitive Correlates Of Vulnerability To Misinformation, Sanjay Kumar Chhetri

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

As misinformation sweeps across the digital world, there is a need to better understand the psychological processes that underlie belief and susceptibility to online misinformation. The present study measured vulnerability to misinformation through a proxy construct of verifying online information. Using path modeling, we investigated how cognitive styles, as assessed by the Cognitive Reflection Test, predicted the extent individuals verify online information and content. The path model also investigated the mediating role of conspiracy mentality and pseudo-profound bullshit receptivity. Based on a U.S. sample of 194 adults, we found that the cognitive reflection test was positively related to verifying online …

Understanding Bias And Using Wikipedia - Slides, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Avoiding Misinformation Online - Slides, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

No abstract provided.

The Disinformation Vaccine: A Case For Integrating Comprehensive Disinformation Education Into First Year Writing Classes, Benjamin F. Jackson

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Students’ exposure to disinformation and misinformation is far greater than it has ever been. As the ability of generative AI to produce image, video, and audio deepfakes grows more sophisticated, disinformation will become even easier to spread and harder to detect. The rapid spread of social, political, scientific, and medical disinformation has been deadly and its potential is disastrous. Security experts now warn that dis/misinformation is the greatest threat to national security. Americans at large and students in particular have a demonstrated lack of information literacy when it comes to detecting false information, and bad actors nationally and globally are …

Chaos Creator: Misinformation Inoculation In Information Literacy Instruction, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Combating the spread of misinformation is a struggle that has inspired considerable research in the fields of psychology, education, political science, and information science, among others. Such research has found that “prebunking” or “inoculation” techniques—strategies that reduce the acceptance of misinformation before one has encountered it—have had marked success. However, there is little evidence that librarians are deliberately employing inoculation techniques in their information literacy (IL) instruction. Via a quasi-experimental study, this research explores the effect of prebunking techniques in an IL instruction session on undergraduate students’ ability to recognise misinformation. The prebunking techniques are delivered through a competitive game …

Three Years Of Misinformation: A Case Study Of Information Literacy Methods, Elizabeth Zak

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Misinformation is an ever-evolving digital issue. As the internet evolves, so too does misinformation and the ways in which it is propagated. Information literacy methods, such as the CRAAP test, the RADAR framework and the SIFT method, can help information users discern between real and fake information, and prevent the spread of misinformation. Unfortunately, the speed with which misinformation evolves often makes information literacy methods obsolete when they are designed and implemented. Furthermore, when people trust misinformation, they struggle with identifying correct information. Visual misinformation presents another concern: people trust what they see, and new misinformative developments such as deepfakes …

Ai-Powered Learning: Blending Ai With Active Learning In The Information Literacy Classroom, Kevin J. Reagan, Wilhelmina Randtke

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In 2016, the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education launched in response to more voluminous, less-vetted online information, including misinformation and content farms. Subsequently, the ACRL Framework has been widely adopted, and numerous high-quality lesson plans and resources for teaching the frames already exist, including published lesson plans and textbooks. Now, generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and other chat bots present new challenges for information literacy educators. For instance, in addition to teaching students how to identify issues such as fake news, the information literacy professional has to address topics such as ethical AI use, AI hallucination …

Innovation And Responsibility: Librarians In An Era Of Generative Ai, Inequality, And Information Overload, Odin H. Halvorson

School of Information Student Research Journal

In an era marked by generative AI, widening inequality, and information overload, librarians with LIS training find themselves at the forefront of a changing landscape. The traditional paradigm in academia is challenged by new technologies and social shifts, prompting a reassessment the librarian's role as a public leader. This article discusses three perspectives on these issues, placing them within the larger conversation of the LIS field. Dr. Norman Mooradian lays the groundwork for a paradigm shift by exploring the intersection of knowledge and ethics in a knowledge economy. Boheme Morris delves into the complexities of inequality within the high-tech knowledge …

Critical Race Digital Literacy Rubric For Assessing Mis/Disinformation Literacy Instruction Lesson Plans, Melissa Chomintra

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

While librarians have been at the forefront of the fight against fake news, misinformation, and disinformation, offering invaluable guidance and tools through information literacy instruction, there is a noteworthy gap in the adoption of pedagogical approaches rooted in critical theory within mis/disinformation literacy lesson plans. This suggests there may not be well-defined or standardized frameworks for incorporating these theories into library instruction. The enclosed article explores Critical Race Digital Literacy (CRDL) as a pedagogical approach to mis/disinformation literacy education by proposing a rubric for assessing mis/disinformation lesson plans. The rubric is grounded in the principles of critical race theory, emphasizing …

Online Media Literacy Intervention In Indonesia Reduces Misinformation Sharing Intention, Trenton Ford, Michael Yankoski, Matthew Facciani, Tim Weninger

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media literacy is widely viewed as an important tool in the fight against the spread of misinformation online. However, efforts to boost media literacy have primarily focused on Western-media and Western-oriented social media platforms, which are substantively different from the media and platforms used widely in the Global South. In the present work, we focus on the media ecosystem of Indonesia and report the results of an online media literacy intervention consisting of short-videos that were targeted specifically to social media users in Indonesia (N= 656). We found that participants in our media literacy intervention were 64% more …

The Promise Of Media Literacy Education When “Everything Is At Stake” And “Everything Is Expected”, Monica Bulger, Gina Baleria, Renee Hobbs, Kimberly R. Moffitt

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In the midst of a tumultuous time in American and global history, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Annual Conference 2021 hosted a panel to explore the promise and limits of media literacy. Panelists discussed the vital role of media literacy education in responding to challenges to democracy, social justice, and public health. With “everything at stake,” the panelists moved through responses to current crises while grounding in a historical context and offering recommendations for the future. Curated transcripts share a pivotal moment when much was expected of media literacy and media literacy experts explored promise and …

Understanding How Regulatory And Ethical Principles Mitigate The Spread And Propagation Of Harmful Health Information: A Successful Fulbright Scholar Award Narrative, Bethany S. Mcgowan

Libraries Faculty and Staff Creative Materials

I used a Fulbright Scholar Award to work with librarians, information studies scholars, and policymakers in Finland to investigate what policies or policy tools were available to help balance the need between propagating accurate information, curbing dis/misinformation, and ensuring human rights of access to information. This policy assessment helped me understand how regulatory and ethical principles can mitigate the spread and propagation of harmful health information.

Werewolf On Campus: A Case Study In Inoculation Theory And Gamified One-Shot Library Instruction, Abigail Adams

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This case study details the development and results of an information literacy game in which undergraduate students evaluated fictional sources to learn how to recognize a werewolf on campus. The game relied on inoculation theory and fiction to teach students to identify indicators of mis and disinformation outside of any real-world examples that might affect their learning experience. The game showed promise as students were far more engaged and demonstrated better retention later in the semester than students who received a more traditional lecture about disinformation and source evaluation. However, the game would likely be more effective if it were …

Identifying Dis/Misinformation On Social Media: A Policy Report For The Diplomacy Lab Strategies For Identifying Mis/Disinformation Project, Bethany S. Mcgowan, Matthew Hannah, Sofia Babcock, Katelyn Biggs, Lara Chuppe, Christina Galiatsatos, Jannine Huby, Michael Kuczajda, Bennet Miller, Stephanie Perun, Amanda Shie, Alicia Stevance, Andrew Yason, Charlotte Yeung

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Dis/misinformation was a major concern in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and has only worsened in recent years. Even though domestic actors often spread dis/misinformation, actors abroad can use it to spread confusion and push their agenda to the detriment of American citizens. Even though this report focuses on actors outside the United States, the methods they use are universal and can be adapted to work against domestic agents. A solid understanding of these methods is the first step in combating foreign dis/misinformation campaigns and creating a new information literacy paradigm.

This report highlights the primary mechanisms of dis/misinformation: multimedia …

Ils 490: Diplomacy Lab: Strategies For Identifying Mis/Disinformation Course Syllabus (Fall 2022), Bethany S. Mcgowan, Matthew Hannah

Libraries Faculty and Staff Creative Materials

Course syllabus for the Diplomacy Lab: Strategies for Identifying Mis/Disinformation student-driven project, a collaboration between Purdue University and the U.S. Department of State, supervised by Professors Bethany McGowan and Matthew Hannah.

Debunking & Prebunking: Strategies For Librarians To Eradicate Misinformation, Evan Meszaros, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Measuring Fake News Acumen Using A News Media Literacy Instrument, Tyler W. S. Nagel

Journal of Media Literacy Education

News media literacy education is gaining increased attention in the age of fake news and post-truth America. However, as with any pedagogical goal, it is important to be able to evaluate the success of the delivery. In a survey built on existing news literacy frameworks, 1476 students at a large Canadian polytechnic answered questions about their own news literacy, fake news acumen, and news consumption habits. Analysis of the data suggests that conscientious fake-news attitudes and behaviors are correlated with an existing news media literacy scale, providing a method of evaluating the success of fake news education efforts.

Diy Disinformation: Using Fake Crafting Videos To Combat Fake News, Elizabeth M. Downey

UL Publications

When Ann Reardon started her YouTube channel How to Cook That, she likely didn’t expect to spend a bulk of her time debunking so-called “cooking hack” videos. Amateur bakers and other viewers would ask her why the so-called easy recipes from channels like So Yummy didn’t work for them. As a service. she would demonstrate the so-called “shortcuts,” explain why they didn’t work, and then show how to execute a similar recipe the right way. With her willing husband serving as the unfortunate taste-tester, the videos gained popularity followed by requests for similar content, expanding to crafting and other “lifehack” …

Critical Thinking In The Age Of Misinformation: Information Literacy For Citizenship, Tamra Ortgies-Young, Jennfer Lobo Meeks, Barbara Robertson

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

As recent political events across the globe have shed a light on the fragility of democratic values, the role of the University in creating a framework for civic education becomes more urgent. Informed, caring and engaged citizenry must be a goal of higher education. Students currently face the emergence of faulty types of information - such as misinformation and disinformation, which undermines the notion of collective or public inquiry, not only within universities, but also within society as a whole. This challenge must be acknowledged and addressed by academic institutions.

Session presenters will provide an overview of their work, “Critical …

Misinformation And Information Literacy: Strategies For College First Year Information Literacy Instruction, Grant Hardaway, Anne Jumonville Graf

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Information literacy education encompasses a wide range of instructional strategies and content, some of which include media literacy and metaliteracy. Increasing attention to the development and spread of misinformation on social media underscores the need for information literacy instruction to address this issue. At the same time, first year college students continue to need foundational information literacy skills in order to be successful in their assigned research projects. At the presenters’ institution, most library-led instruction emphasizes strategies and resources for success in an academic context, without much focus on other information landscapes, such as social media. This presentation will share …

How Do You Meme?: Using Memes For Information Literacy Instruction, Christina Boyle

Publications and Research

Memes, or image macros, have become a standard method of digital information sharing. This is especially true during times when current events ignite a heightened desire for information seeking among students. Memes can be sources of misinformation, such as during events of the past decade, including recent presidential elections, social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Librarians need to address this format in their information literacy teachings. In this article, the author briefly outlines the rise of internet memes, discusses how higher education students are engaging with them, and highlights some problematic meme-sharing throughout …