Perceptions of Truth Gen Z, Media Culture, and the Spread of Pseudoscience

This paper examines the media consumption of the Gen Z generation and their values of truth in the face of the increasing amounts of pseudoscience in the online realm. Gen Z consumption patterns can be summed up by complex media habits as characterized by both the active creation of content to a social media platform, and the distrust of a more conventional form of news source. Through a mixed-methods study using surveys and focus groups, the study explores how media culture forms trust, belief and openness to pseudoscientific material in Gen Z adults and youth between 16-25 years. Results demonstrate a multidimensionality of peer influence, exposure to algorithms, and identity processes that mediate pseudoscience consumption and the level of media literacy and critical thinking. The paper demonstrates the importance of specific media literacy education and some form of reliability in such a way as to make Gen Z sophisticated designers and procurement of information. Such findings can be used to further the current debate on how to deal with misinformation and create a healthier online flow of information among future generations.