Currently, young people are one of the groups that access information fastest, but are also easily affected by false content if they lack skills to select and verify. From harmless rumors to distorted content, all can affect awareness, beliefs and behavior if not carefully verified and selected.
Sharing about this issue, Luong Nhat Linh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Youth Union of the Academy of Journalism and Propaganda, Secretary of the Youth Union of the Institute of Journalism and Communication, said that young people have a great advantage in accessing information but also face many risks. If they lack skills to select and verify, they are very easily affected by misleading information flows.
Receiving one-way information in the digital environment is very dangerous, not only causing cognitive distortion but also potentially distorting viewpoints and beliefs," said Linh. According to Linh, the core solution is not only to limit bad information but also to build an information "filter" for young people. That is critical thinking, verification ability and responsible approach.
From a practical perspective, Mr. Tran Vuong Hao - Secretary of the Youth Union of the residential area of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (Nghia Do ward, Hanoi) said that currently bad and toxic information is "generating every second, spreading every minute and cloning every hour". These contents not only stop at sensational stories but can also deeply impact the political and social awareness of young people.
According to Mr. Hao, the young generation has a lot of potential but their bravery and experience are still being perfected, so they are easily affected if they lack information "resistance". If not promptly oriented, perceptual deviations can lead to long-term consequences for society.
Faced with that reality, the Youth Union organization has implemented many solutions to raise awareness and skills for union members and youth. Luong Nhat Linh said that at the Academy of Journalism and Propaganda, political awareness training classes and practical topics are organized regularly, attracting a large number of students to participate.
In addition, education methods are also innovated through practical experience activities such as journeys to the origin, visiting historical sites. These activities help young people not only absorb knowledge but also understand more deeply about traditional values.
A noteworthy point is the promotion of the subjective role of union members in cyberspace. Students are encouraged to participate in producing communication products, building positive content on digital platforms. This process helps them train critical thinking, verification skills and sense of responsibility when participating in the online environment.
At the grassroots level, according to Tran Vuong Hao, training activities and competitions on skills to identify and prevent bad and toxic information are also being widely deployed. Each union member is identified as a "soldier" on the information front, proactively detecting, warning and fighting against false content.
Secretary of the Youth Union of the residential area of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (Nghia Do ward, Hanoi) also said that in the coming time, the Youth Union organization will continue to improve the quality of content on digital platforms, ensuring both accuracy and suitability with the approach of young people. Communication campaigns will be promoted in the direction of encouraging young people to participate in creativity and spread positive content.
Discussing this issue, technology expert Vu Thanh Thang - Chairman of AIZ Joint Stock Company said that a noteworthy point today is that social networking platforms operate based on content proposing algorithms, tending to "hold" users with controversial and sensational information.
According to him, this makes young people easily fall into the "information bubble", where they continuously receive content in the same direction without multi-dimensional verification. "If you are not aware of the operating mechanism of the platform, users can easily be led without realizing it," Mr. Thang said.
From a technological perspective, Mr. Thang believes that young people need to form a habit of proactively controlling information flows, such as choosing monitoring sources, limiting interaction with negative content and using reporting tools, hiding bad and toxic content.
Along with that, understanding how the algorithm works also helps users "adjust" their own experiences, thereby reducing the risk of repeated exposure to misinformation.
