Digital literacy and post truth challenges in the rural academic ecosystem of Tamil Nadu

This mixed-methods study looks at how post-truth dynamics and digital technologies interact in Tamil Nadu, India's rural higher education system. Using a primary survey (n = 284; 240 students, 44 faculty), six focus groups (n = 38) and content analysis of institutional digital resources, the study explores perceptions of truth and misinformation, technology use patterns, opportunities and challenges in digital pedagogy and mitigation suggestions from stakeholders. The findings show that 85% of students use smartphones for learning and that access to computers and institutional smart classrooms is not uniform. Just 20% of respondents said they regularly checked information before using it and 60% said they had come across academic content that was inaccurate or unconfirmed. Although gaps in fact-checking techniques remained, 80% of participants in a supplemental certificate-course cohort (n = 81) indicated an improvement in their digital confidence following organized training. Research indicates that although technology increases access and pedagogical alternatives, when infrastructure and curriculum integration are lacking, it is also associated with increased circulation of emotionally charged and unsubstantiated material in institutional channels. The findings are correlational in nature and purposefully restricted to rural Tamil Nadu; the policy suggestions made are contextually sensitive and meant to be workable institutional solutions, such as focused digital literacy training, fact-checking procedures for shared materials and Tamil-language materials. The study offers a fact-based explanation of how, in a particular rural academic setting, technology adoption and the post-truth world coexist.