A new study has revealed that Instagram users in Greece and Portugal differ significantly in how they identify and respond to fake news, highlighting the role of cultural factors in shaping digital media literacy. The findings were published in the journal Information.
Researchers examined 211 young people from the two countries, focusing on their Instagram habits, trust in different sources, and reactions to specific post characteristics. The findings show that while both groups share some similarities in platform use, their perceptions of credibility vary in key areas.
Greek users tend to place stronger trust in content shared by friends and family. They are also more inclined to interact privately by forwarding posts via direct messages. Portuguese users, by contrast, are more critical of posts containing poor grammar, spelling, or formatting. They are also more likely to scrutinise content that uses emotional language or contradicts their personal beliefs.
One striking difference lies in the time spent on Instagram. Greek users reported longer engagement on the platform than their Portuguese counterparts. This extended use appears to correlate with a greater likelihood of resharing content, even when it supports or contradicts their ideological views without fact-checking it.
The study found that Portuguese users were more attentive to the quality of a post when determining its credibility. Factors such as the presence of clickbait-style captions, anonymous authors, and lack of cited sources were more heavily weighted in their assessments. Meanwhile, Greek users were less likely to factor in such structural elements and placed more importance on the social source of the content.
Although both countries belong to the same media system model known for low public trust and high political parallelism, their user behaviours on Instagram reveal divergent approaches to information validation. The Portuguese appeared to exhibit more consistent critical evaluation, potentially due to higher levels of institutional trust.
Interestingly, despite the growing concern around misinformation, nearly half of the respondents in both countries were neutral about trusting news from personal connections over verified accounts. However, Greek users were more likely to believe content from their friends, even if the accuracy was uncertain.
The study also explored users’ interest in media literacy education. Those who spent more time on Instagram expressed a stronger willingness to attend workshops on misinformation, suggesting that prolonged exposure to unverified content may heighten awareness and curiosity about digital resilience strategies.
These findings underscore the need for culturally tailored approaches when designing anti-misinformation strategies. Simple warnings or generic guidelines may not be effective across different regions. For platforms like Instagram, which blend visual storytelling with user-generated content, a deeper understanding of national media habits could prove essential in shaping more effective safeguards.
