In the wake of the 2016 US presidential elections the study of fake news has been rapidly on the rise. However, an analysis of political satire has remained an underdeveloped line of research. This research paper uses field experiment, survey and focus group methods to determine whether media consumers' ability to differentiate between satirical or fake news is related to socio-demographic factors. The findings highlight that age, education, sex and political affiliation affect the understanding of "fake news' and satire.
Highlights:
- The study revealed that older millennials and Generation X who had more exposure to the internet scored higher in awareness levels when it came to identifying fake or satirical news.
- Graduate level students had lesser awareness of satirical news sites as compared to high school students. This is potentially because traditional media is more influential in that age group as compared to more popular forms such as satire or social media.
- While party affiliation did not significantly determine the research score, Republicans did score lower on the correct identification of satirical or fake news screenshots.
- Women scored higher than men and the average in the online survey. The focus group discussions however saw men showing more willingness to participate and were more vocal and active than most women.