A new study “Disinformation and wrong information in the Western Balkans“, conducted by the British Council and the Balkan Research Network (BIRN), focuses on how young people across the Western Balkans navigate today’s complex information environment.
As part of a global research program Next Generation British Council, the study explores the ways in which young people perceive and engage with information and media. It illuminates the challenges they face, but also the tools they use to understand their information environment.
The study analyzes how young people build trust in information, what shapes their perception of credibility and why periods of heightened social tension, such as elections and crises, increase the risk of misleading content. It provides important insights to decision makers, educational institutions and civil society organizations that seek to strengthen youth resilience to information challenges and develop comprehensive approaches based on the realities of the modern information environment.
Although experiences vary across the region, the research identifies three common features that shape the information environment of young people in the Western Balkans: news consumption via digital platforms, fragile and contested media ecosystems, and uneven access to media and information literacy support.
“In a time of heightened uncertainty and growing information fatigue, we believe it is essential to better understand and support young people in navigating complex information environments, as well as to restore trust in credible sources of information for all citizens of the region. This study illuminates the complexity of the information environments through which young people must navigate. It also shows the ways in which young people have adapted to that environment, including relying on ‘credibility signals’, and highlights the importance of interpersonal trust and signals coming from the community.” It is important that we draw lessons from this study and develop more comprehensive and realistic approaches to media and information literacy, which will help young people where they really are, not where we would like them to be,” said Clare Sears, Director of the British Council for the Western Balkans.
The study shows that young people across the Western Balkans navigate a fast-paced and platform-driven information environment, where exposure to information is often accidental. That is why they assess authenticity by relying on practical shortcuts, i.e. on “signals of credibility”, instead of systematic fact-checking. Trust is often placed in personal networks and known sources, rather than specific media institutions. Faced with information overload, emotional pressures and lack of time, many young people check information selectively, rely on trusted persons or withdraw from the public sphere altogether.
Key findings for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina stands out in that young people rely heavily on the reputation of media and information sources when assessing the credibility of content, with a strong focus on lack of accountability and weak enforcement of rules. Emotional fatigue is also more pronounced than in some other data sets, which affects everyday ways of dealing with information.
- Credibility is often based on indicators of transparency and legitimacy, such as recognizable research media and their identifying elements.
- Issues related to accountability at higher levels are significant, especially when it comes to the practices of online portals and limited enforcement of regulations.
- Information overload and confusion are common, and content avoidance is often used as a coping mechanism for these challenges.
Recommendations from the study indicate that building resilience to information challenges requires much more than individual fact-checking skills. Young people demand greater accountability of digital platforms and media, higher standards of transparency and stronger systemic support for media literacy through schools, families and local communities. Effective responses must take into account the social nature of information, the impact of platform design, and the actual ways in which young people access and evaluate information on a daily basis.
Ten priority recommendations
- Include “credibility signal literacy” in all youth programs.
- Make checking information fast and easy to fit into daily habits.
- Integrate digital well-being into approaches to strengthening information resilience.
- Provide continuous professional development of teachers in the field of media literacy and cyber hygiene.
- Incorporate critical thinking into all parts of the curriculum.
- Start from early childhood and provide support to parents.
- Enable quality media and fact-checking organizations to more easily reach young people through digital platforms.
- Increase the responsibility of content and advertising platforms.
- Improve clear and user-understandable indicators of order authenticity.
- Develop a practical framework for upstream action, with appropriate safeguards.
