The Role of Digital Literacy in Reducing Disinformation in the Social Media Era

Abstract

The development of social media in Indonesia has massively increased access to public information, but it also presents a serious challenge in the form of disinformation that has the potential to undermine social cohesion and democracy. Digital literacy is seen as a strategic ability that can protect the public from exposure to false information. This study aims to analyze the role of digital literacy in reducing people's vulnerability to disinformation on social media, focusing on identifying the level of digital literacy, the relationship between digital literacy and disinformation vulnerability, and strategies to increase digital literacy. This study uses a quantitative approach with an explanatory survey design. A sample of 400 respondents was determined through purposive sampling with the criteria of active social media users. The research instrument is in the form of an online questionnaire that measures the dimensions of digital literacy and vulnerability to disinformation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. The results showed that most respondents were in the "adequate" digital literacy category, with the greatest strengths in the technical dimension and weaknesses in the critical dimension. Correlation analysis found a significant negative association between digital literacy and vulnerability to disinformation (r = -0.47; p < 0.05). In addition, digital literacy has been shown to influence information sharing behavior on social media, where respondents with high literacy are more selective and rarely disseminate content without verification. This research emphasizes the importance of strategies to strengthen digital literacy that include technical, evaluative, social, and ethical dimensions.