The salience of contextual knowledge and interpersonal influences in youths' search and evaluation of online information; Implications for media literacy.

Abstract

The various evaluative criteria and skills in searching for online information as proposed by researchers and educators over-emphasized on the dimensions of skills and habits of users, lacking the cognitive and contextual aspects relevant to these skills. The present study focuses on these contextual aspects by investigating the different levels of knowledge structures as well as the interpersonal influences significant to youths during their search and evaluation of online information. Applying Potter?s cognitive-psychological framework of media literacy, these knowledge structures represent integral cognitive sources determining one?s capability in evaluating media information. The different knowledge structures are broadly categorized into: i) Knowledge of media - a) media content, b) media effects, c) media industries , and ii) Contextual knowledge ? a) real world, b) the self. Data was collected from 47 Singaporean undergraduates aged between 18-25 years through two main methods; 1) verbal protocols from recordings of participant?s think-aloud verbalizations during their task-solving process, and 2) pre- and post-task survey questionnaires. The study found that participants are more prone to utilize knowledge structures based on objective and factual sources as compared to contextual and subjective knowledge of the real world and self. Participants were also found to mostly rely on friends and acquaintances when discerning online information, as compared to family members which are least relied upon. The implications of the findings toward improving youths? media literacy are then discussed.