THE CONSEQUENCE OF DIGITAL MISINFORMATION ON PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS AND TRUST IN TAMIL NADU: PERSPECTIVES FROM FACT-CHECKING INITIATIVES

Abstract

Digital communication technologies and social media networks have drastically transformed information dissemination across Tamil Nadu. While high smartphone density and affordable mobile broadband have broadened democratic participation, they have simultaneously catalyzed the unfettered spread of digital misinformation and strategic disinformation. This empirical study analyzes the impact of digital information disorder on public awareness, epistemic discernment, and institutional trust among social media users in Tamil Nadu. Primary data was collected and analyzed through a structured questionnaire from a representative sample of N=200 active digital media users (urban and semi-urban districts) consisting of university students (38.5%), working professionals (36.0%), and general citizens (25.5%), using descriptive statistics, mean trust metrics and thematic fact-checking verification. The empirical findings indicate extensive exposure to unverified digital narratives. Specifically, 84.5% of respondents reported exposure to false claims on WhatsApp, and 68.0% on YouTube. The main behavioral drivers of uncontrolled transmission are emotional arousal (34.0%) and interpersonal trust on peer forwarders (27.0%). Statistical analysis shows significant erosion of trust in digital-only portals (mean = 2.18 / 5.0) and social media feeds (mean = 2.34 / 5.0), while legacy print and verified state repositories maintain baseline institutional confidence. Additionally, there is a large media literacy gap: 42.5% are aware of generic fact-checking but only 31.5% are aware of Tamil language specific verification platforms (e.g. YouTurn) and only 23.0% often fact-check suspicious media before sharing. The study calls for urgent integration of vernacular online literacy and scalable regional fact-checking infrastructures to protect civic integrity.