Half of Germany's population feels overburdened by the Internet's vast amount of data.
Every other individual in Germany is swamped by the continuous stream of information on the internet, as per a report launched in Berlin on Wednesday by the digital organization Bitkom. Moreover, half of the respondents frequently don't know which online news is reliable. 62 percent occasionally cut back their news consumption when the data flow becomes too much.
Based on the report, 30% of respondents would prefer a synthetic intelligence system to recommend fitting news content. Simultaneously, 92% demand more transparency when an AI is involved in the curation of news and its portrayal.
Two-thirds, or 67%, of those who utilize the internet to stay informed about current affairs and current events have encountered erroneous reports over the past year. One in three respondents feel that social media platforms are responsible for fact-checking false claims. 16% see this as the obligation of an independent organization, and 12% believe it's the responsibility of the government. Nearly a third, at 31%, think this accountability rests with each Internet user themselves.
Bitkom estimates that approximately 55 million internet users aged 16 and older in Germany access online information about current affairs. On average, users spend 48 minutes a day browsing the internet for these purposes. 23% even spend more than an hour.
For 48% of respondents, reading texts is the most appealing activity, with the proportion of people aged 65 and over being more than twice as high as those under 30. Conversely, the under-30 age group prefers visuals with brief text.
Not only in social media, but generally while consuming news on the internet, only the headlines are frequently examined and not the whole articles: 54% of respondents state that they do this often.
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The Bitkom survey reveals that everyone in Germany, to some extent, struggles with the deluge of reliable information on the internet, with half of the population frequently questioning the credibility of online news. Moreover, a third of respondents believe that each internet user has a responsibility to fact-check false claims.
Source: www.ntv.de
