1.5 To Access, Use and Create Content in Media

Our opportunities to make contact have changed with the digital technology. In addition to taking care of errands online such as banking, shopping, booking trips, etc., keeping in touch with friends and family has changed. For those who for different reasons do not use digital technology, exclusion is growing when public bodies become more digitalised. For many, however, the digitalisation of communications has increased opportunities to create content, stay in touch and make new contacts, as well as run errands.

The knowledge and skills needed to access and use different platforms, i.e., digital literacy, is a central aspect of media literacy. The lowered threshold when it comes to participation in debates, publishing posts and commenting on posts on social media has been seen as an opportunity for democracy to thrive and increase participation and engagement in society.

Online Communication

Out of the different services mentioned in the survey, sending emails is the most frequently used mode of communication. Five of ten of the respondents in four Nordic countries state that they post or comment on social media at least monthly, but it is almost as common to refrain from commenting due to fear of being attacked (see figure below). More than one in ten of the respondents in the Nordic countries (12–16 percent) state that they refrain from commenting for this reason daily, see figure below.

Several forms of online communication are less common in Iceland, particularly commenting on social media and contacting public authorities or community services.

Figure 1.5.1. Online practices among 16+ year olds, by country (percent)

How often do you…?

To capture the respondents’ confidence in their own knowledge or skill needed to use a tool or means of communication, questions about ability to assist someone in their use were included in the survey.

Most respondents feel confident in their ability to help a friend or relative with different modes of online communication. The greatest difficulty was found in helping with creating an invitation to an online meeting using tools such as Zoom, Teams, or Skype. This result is not surprising, given the large share of respondents who never use these tools (39–51 percent, see figure above).

The share of people who feel capable of assisting others with online communication is generally higher in Iceland and lower in Denmark compared to the other three Nordic countries.

Figure 1.5.2. Assisting with online practices 16+ years, by country (percent)

Searching for information online

In efforts to enhance media literacy, the questions about people’s experiences and attitudes to their practices provide valuable facts. Knowledge regarding in which areas people have confidence or struggle will guide in the planning of future initiatives and better meet the needs.

Media literacy is becoming an increasingly important skill as more and more of the information the users encounter online is not deliberately sought after, but parsed, selected and presented to them from various actors online through algorithms. A critical mindset and techniques to assess content and sources will be helpful when evaluating content and information, e.g. to compare a news item with different sources.

The extent of some behaviours varies between countries, with higher level of agreement regarding visiting multiple sources to find information in Sweden and Norway. There is also a higher level of confidence in determining which media are trustworthy among respondents from Finland and Iceland. Overall, the share of respondents who do not agree to using the different techniques listed is low in four of the Nordic countries, Danish respondents being the exception. When assessing the quality of information received in social media the uncertainty is more prevalent.

Figure 1.5.3. Searching for information and news online 16+ year olds by country (percent)

Mean

Sweden: 3,7

Norway: 3,8

Denmark: 3,3

Finland: 3,5

Iceland: 3,5

Mean

Sweden: 4,0

Norway: 3,8

Denmark: 3,9

Finland: 3,9

Iceland: 3,9

Mean

Sweden: 3,5

Norway: 3,6

Denmark: 3,5

Finland: 3,8

Iceland: 3,9

Mean

Sweden: 3,9

Norway: 4,0

Denmark: 3,9

Finland: 4,0

Iceland: 4,1

Mean

Sweden: 3,2

Norway: 3,3

Denmark: 3,0

Finland: 3,0

Iceland: 3,1

The result from the survey shows that the oldest age group of respondents as well as the youngest, do not report to check several sources for information about news to the same extent as other age groups. The oldest and youngest age groups also express more confidence in determining trustworthy media. In total, however, a majority of the respondents in the Nordic countries state that they review news content using multiple sources.

Age seems to be a factor at play when assessing information from people or accounts the respondent is following on social media. Younger adults report to a greater extent that they often receive good information (17 percent strongly agree to this) while respondents 45 years and older do so to a lesser extent (11 percent and less).

Respondents’ own assessment of other digital literacy skills seems to be confident in all age groups; the vast majority often find the information they are looking for online, and most evaluate whether a news topic is genuine or false before sharing it with others.

Figure 1.5.4. Searching information and news online 16+ year olds by age (percent)

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,4

25–34 yrs: 3,6

35–44 yrs: 3,7

45–54 yrs: 3,6

55–64 yrs: 3,6

65+: 3,4

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,6

25–34 yrs: 3,8

35–44 yrs: 4,0

45–54 yrs: 4,0

55–64 yrs: 4,0

65+: 4,0

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,6

25–34 yrs: 3,7

35–44 yrs: 3,8

45–54 yrs: 3,7

55–64 yrs: 3,6

65+: 3,4

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,9

25–34 yrs: 4,0

35–44 yrs: 4,1

45–54 yrs: 4,0

55–64 yrs: 4,0

65+: 3,9

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,5

25–34 yrs: 3,4

35–44 yrs: 3,3

45–54 yrs: 3,2

55–64 yrs: 2,8

65+: 2,6

Attitudes to information online

The share of respondents who find it difficult to stay up to date with the news, or to determine which media or online search results are trustworthy, shed light on media literacy aspects to address. Between two (Iceland) and nearly four (Denmark) of ten respondents express difficulties. Many also find it difficult to determine who is behind a social media account or profile, close to half of the respondents. There is a greater variation between the countries but displaying a clear pattern where respondents in Norway, Denmark and Finland express slightly more difficulties.

Swedish and Icelandic respondents find it less difficult to take in the news, with the perceived difficulty level generally being lower for Iceland in all statements.

Figure 1.5.5. Attitudes to information and news online 16+ year olds by country (percent)

Mean

Sweden: 2,5

Norway: 2,8

Denmark: 2,9

Finland: 2,7

Iceland: 2,3

Mean

Sweden: 2,3

Norway: 2,8

Denmark: 2,8

Finland: 2,5

Iceland: 2,2

Mean

Sweden: 2,9

Norway: 3,1

Denmark: 3,1

Finland: 2,8

Iceland: 2,3

Mean

Sweden: 3,0

Norway: 3,1

Denmark: 3,2

Finland: 3,0

Iceland: 2,5

Mean

Sweden: 3,4

Norway: 3,4

Denmark: 3,6

Finland: 3,3

Iceland: 3,0

The perceived difficulty to stay up to date with the news or to take in the news is more strongly expressed among the young compared to the older age groups. Among the younger half of the respondents, about one in three agree or strongly agree to these statements. The older half of the respondents on the other hand seem more confident and express a strong disagreement in the statements mentioning difficulties. Age seems to matter less in the statements regarding trust in media or in search results as well as validating a social media account where opinions are more evenly distributed.

Figure 1.5.6. Attitudes to information and news online 16+ year olds by age (percent)

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,1

25–34 yrs: 3,0

35–44 yrs: 2,8

45–54 yrs: 2,6

55–64 yrs: 2,2

65+: 2,1

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,0

25–34 yrs: 2,9

35–44 yrs: 2,8

45–54 yrs: 2,5

55–64 yrs: 2,2

65+: 2,1

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,0

25–34 yrs: 3,0

35–44 yrs: 2,9

45–54 yrs: 2,8

55–64 yrs: 2,8

65+: 2,9

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,1

25–34 yrs: 3,0

35–44 yrs: 3,0

45–54 yrs: 3,0

55–64 yrs: 3,0

65+: 3,0

Mean

16–24 yrs: 3,2

25–34 yrs: 3,3

35–44 yrs: 3,3

45–54 yrs: 3,3

55–64 yrs: 3,5

65+: 3,6

Key insights

Fear of being attacked significantly limits participation online. About four out of ten respondents have refrained from posting or commenting online due to fear of being attacked at least monthly. More than one in ten refrains from participating in online discourse out of fear on a daily basis.
Experience and use of online services show clear age patterns: Aside from e-mail, older adults use most online modes far less. The largest gaps are in buying/selling via platforms and creating online-meeting invites, both of which are more common among younger adults.
Confidence in own ability to operate online services is generally high. Most respondents feel able to assist others with online tasks, such as posting/commenting on social media. The majority are less confident with two tasks: Creating online meeting invites and contacting public authorities/services using chat/chat bots or social media.
Respondents are generally confident in their own ability to find and evaluate information and news, but more sceptical about the quality of accounts they follow. A majority say they often find information they seek online, that they believe they can evaluate medias’ trustworthiness, and that they evaluate news sources' factuality before sharing with others. However, at the same time only a third of the participants feel they receive good information from people or accounts they follow on social media.
Verification: Habits and confidence vary by age. The oldest and youngest age groups check multiple sources less and are less confident in their ability to evaluate media trustworthiness or find information online.
Younger respondents appear to trust online sources more. There is a strong negative correlation between age and trust in others to provide good information on social media. The youngest age group is more than twice as likely to report that they receive good information from people/accounts that they follow on social media, compared to the oldest group.
Younger respondents struggle with news to a greater degree. About one in three respondents in the younger half of the population (16–44 years) find it difficult to stay up to date with news and/or to take in the news. Older respondents (55+) find it far easier to take in the news.