Media influence and user behaviour in the news environment: Traditional versus social media

This study investigates behavioural patterns in identifying disinformation within news environments, where algorithmically curated information flows shape human-technology interaction. Using data from the 2025 Eurobarometer survey (n=26,114), the research employs statistical analysis to compare users' attitudes towards news in traditional and social media. Findings indicate a significant disparity: while 65.9 % of respondents express high confidence in recognising fake news, 34.1% remain unconfident. Notably, high engagement with social media correlates with a greater exposure to disinformation. Women tend to have slightly higher self-reported exposure to disinformation (23.8%) than men (21.1%). Results demonstrate that demographic factors, particularly age and years of education, significantly shape information-checking behaviours. By adopting a human-oriented perspective, the study highlights how digitally mediated environments structure users’ interaction with information and condition their capacity to critically assess its reliability.