More than half of Irish people struggle to discern real news from fake news online

Just 16% of people said that the news on social media platforms is trustworthy. File Picture: iStock

More than half of people in Ireland (57%) struggle to tell the difference between real news and fake news on the internet, according to new research.

The new wide-ranging report on digital usage also found that 85% of people feel that fake news is a major problem for the world today.

Just under three-quarters (74%) said they rely on multiple sources for their news, while just under two-thirds (65%) believe that news from traditional news providers is trustworthy.

Only 16% said that the news on social media platforms is trustworthy, however, this figure increased to 28% among those aged 18 to 24. Overall, 57% of those who took part in the survey said it was difficult to discern what news was real, and what news was fake on social media.

In terms of social media usage generally, the report found that 76% of Irish people use social media platforms and messaging services across their devices.

Interestingly, 42% said they had stopped using at least one platform, either on a temporary or permanent basis, over the past year.

Those who did cited a number of reasons for their decision including:

• Boredom with content (41%);
• An abundance of fake news (30%);
• Content being too negative (30%);
• A feeling of spending too much time on the platform (25%);
• Privacy concerns (23%);
• Because the content on the platform did not make them feel good about themselves (21%);
• Because of harassment or bullying (5%) 

“A huge number of respondents stopped using one or more social media platforms, either temporarily or permanently, in the last year. A perception of too much fake news and the content being too negative were among the top reasons given for this,” said Daryl Hansberry of Deloitte, which carried out the research.

“There was also a significant amount who felt that it wasn’t making them feel good about themselves along with a small, but still significant, amount who were experiencing bullying or harassment,” he said.

Mr Hansberry added that the findings of the report were timely, given the Government’s recent announcement of the establishment of a new Media Commission.

Deloitte's Digital Consumer Trends report also asked people about their smart device usage habits on the whole. On a day-to-day basis, smartphones were comfortably the most used device at 94%.

79% used a smart TV, 69% used a smartwatch, 65% used a laptop, 60% used a desktop computer, 56% used a voice-assisted smart speaker, 53% used a tablet such as an iPad, 50% used wireless headphones or earphones and 32% used an eReader such as a Kindle. Just under one-third (31%) used a games console.

Phone usage 

On a day-to-day basis, smartphones were comfortably the most used device at 94%. File Picture: Unsplash

As regards phone usage itself, 29% admitted to looking at their phone more than 50 times each day, increasing to 37% among 18 to 24s, while 12% said they check their smartphone over 100 times each day.

The report found that, on average, men check their phones 49 times per day, with women checking theirs 58 times per day.

74% of people said they check their phone within 30 minutes of waking up, with 37% checking it within five minutes.

The Covid-19 pandemic also changed the ways in which Irish people used their smart devices in 2021.

Unsurprisingly, online shopping for items other than groceries saw the biggest uptick in the past two years, with 33% of people saying they do this more now than they did pre-pandemic.

Elsewhere, 29% of people said they streamed more films or TV series now than they did before, and 28% said they used online banking more.

Other specific reasons for device use that increased during the pandemic included:

• Reading the news (27%); 
• Watching short videos online (26%); 
• Communicating with neighbours/ the local community (18%); 
• Listening to podcasts (18%);
• Grocery shopping (13%);
• Studying (11%); 
• Taking online health and fitness classes (9%)