News release

From: Queensland University of Technology (QUT)

Australians face misinformation online daily: QUT study

Australians routinely encounter misinformation in their everyday online lives, and it’s not just limited to politics or pandemics, according to new research in collaboration with QUT’s Digital Media Research Centre.

The study, Everyday encounters with misinformation online: examining sources, topics and modes, has just been published in Information, Communication & Society. Its findings point to an erosion of trust and disengagement from credible news.

The researchers asked 55 adults to record examples of online content they found false, misleading or untrustworthy, revealed misinformation was far more “everyday” than commonly assumed. Participants most frequently flagged content about business and economics, celebrity news, entertainment and breaking crises, and often identified mainstream news outlets as key sources of misleading material.

Lead author Dr Aimee Hourigan said the findings challenged assumptions misinformation was confined to fringe platforms or extreme topics.

“People aren’t just encountering misinformation about elections or vaccines,” Dr Hourigan said.

“They’re seeing questionable claims about tax hacks, celebrity scandals, local crime and breaking news - the kinds of stories that are part of their daily information diet.

“What stood out was how often participants pointed to clickbait-style headlines and sensationalised reporting from mainstream outlets as misleading. Their trust in news is being eroded not only by falsehoods, but by how news is packaged and delivered.”

Across the 1564 pieces of content submitted, 322 were identified by participants as false, misleading or untrustworthy. Text-based content, especially headlines viewed on social media, made up more than two-thirds of these examples. Many participants described feeling “baited” into reading stories that didn’t match their headlines.

Co-author Professor Michael Dezuanni, from the QUT School of Communication and Digital Media Research Centre, said the findings highlighted the need for media literacy approaches that reflected people’s real-world experiences.

“Our study shows misinformation is woven into everyday online activity,” Professor Dezuanni said.

“If we want to help people navigate digital information, we need to focus on the contexts they actually encounter, not just high-profile political misinformation.

“This means supporting Australians to critically engage with news, understand how algorithms shape what they see, and recognise the commercial pressures driving sensationalism.”

Participants also expressed deep scepticism about content shared on social media, particularly from unknown accounts or community groups. Many described adopting self-protective habits such as ignoring unfamiliar sources or assuming content was untrustworthy until proven otherwise.

Dr Hourigan said these defensive strategies, while understandable, may have unintended consequences.

“People are becoming more sceptical, but that scepticism can spill over into disengagement from credible news,” she said.

“When audiences feel overwhelmed or misled, they may tune out altogether and that has implications for civic participation and public trust.”

The researchers say the findings point to the need for a whole-of-society response, including more transparent news practices, stronger platform accountability and lifelong media literacy education.

The study was funded by the Australian Research Council through the Linkage Projects scheme and led by Professor Tanya Notley at Western Sydney University. Along with Dr Hourigan and Professor Dezuanni, the article's authors were Associate Professor T.J. Thomson from RMIT, Professor Notley from Western Sydney University, and Professor Sora Park from the University of Canberra.

Read more online at Full article: Everyday encounters with misinformation online: examining sources, topics and modes.