People over 50 most at risk of disinformation, media expert says

Older people are almost twice as likely to believe disinformation being spread on social media platforms, and need more education, says a political scientist. — dpa

Disinformation on the war in Ukraine, the pandemic and other current affairs is threat, above all, to older users of WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms, according to a political scientist specialising in the spread of false information.

"The generation that are not digital natives" are most likely to be influenced by false information, says Josef Holnburger, director of the German non-profit Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy (CeMAS), which monitors conspiracy theories and extremist content.