Exploring Neurocommunicative Confluence: Analysis of the Interdependence Between Personality Traits and Information Consumption Patterns in the Detection of Fake News. A Study with University Students of Journalism and Communication Using Enneagrams.

Abstract

Introduction: The phenomenon of misinformation has generated increasing interest in various areas, including society, the media, and regulatory actions by entities such as the European Union. Fake news, also known as fake news, are transforming the media landscape, generating distrust in key communication actors. This study focuses on determining the ability of university students in journalism and communication to detect misinformation on social media, specifically in tweets related to digital press. Methodology: Objectives were established to analyze the detection capacity of misinformation in relation to different enneatypes and to evaluate the competencies of identifying fake news related to specific topics. A neurocommunicative approach was used to explore connections between personality traits and information consumption. The sample consisted of university students in journalism and communication. Results: The study revealed that profiles 4 and 5 showed greater difficulty in detecting misinformation, while Achievers and Peacekeepers were more likely to identify it. Although the average accuracy rate was 59%, deficiencies in detection were observed in the Individualist and Investigator enneatypes. A direct relationship between enneatypes and correct responses was found, highlighting specific profiles in topics such as immigration, politics, health/Covid-19, and the Ukraine conflict. Achievers and Challengers showed greater willingness to fact-check information on health and armed conflicts. Discussion and Conclusions: The findings suggest that personality can influence the ability to detect misinformation, with some enneatypes showing greater susceptibility than others. These results have important implications for education in communication and journalism, highlighting the need to foster critical skills in students to address the phenomenon of misinformation in the digital environment.

This study aims to determine the ability of university students in journalism and communication programs to detect misinformation on social networks, specifically through tweets linked to digital press or containing links to such news, to observe how their enneatype affects their ability to identify this informational contamination. To achieve this, the following objectives are established: to analyze the general disposition for detecting misinformation in relation to the different existing enneatypes, and to evaluate the identification competencies of misinformation related to the main topics where a higher number of fake news is observed, along with the differences that enneatypes have in detecting them.

This work seeks to establish connections, from a neurocommunicative perspective, between human behavior at the level of personality traits and tendencies, and information consumption. It delves into the process of detecting fake news based on the different enneagrams of a sample composed of university students in journalism and communication.