Countering Fake Information Tactics and Factors for Fact-Checking in Russia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2026.2.3099Keywords:
media consumption, fact-checking, fake, prosumerism, de Certeau, digital inequality, logistic regressionAbstract
The article examines internet users' tactics for verifying false (fake) information and the factors associated with fact-checking. Working within the framework of the theory of prosumerism and everyday tactics (Michel de Certeau), the authors of the study aim at identifying and describing the arsenal of fact-checking tactics used by the Russian internet audience, and to determine the socio-demographic and behavioral predictors of their use. The empirical base consisted of data from two waves of Monitoring of the Digital Transformation of the Economy and Society (2022 and 2024, N > 10,000 each). The analysis method, binary logistic regression, assessed the relationships between a set of independent variables and the likelihood of using at least one fact-checking tactic. The results showed that every second Russian internet user had encountered unreliable information. Of these, more than half (58%) had engaged in some form of fact-checking. The most common fact-checking tactic was searching for the primary source. The authors found that younger people, those living in large cities, those with moderate to high family incomes, those with a high level of openness to technology, those who actively search for information online, and those who use artificial intelligence were more likely to fact-check information. Gender, education, and level of generalized trust, as well as internet usage frequency, had no significant impact on the use of fact-checking. These findings suggest that most Russian internet users are developing their own tactics for filtering out unreliable information. The study contributes to the field of media studies by rethinking fact-checking as a practice rather than a skill and reveals the specific socio-behavioral profile of Russians who verify the veracity of information.
Acknowledgement. This work/article is an output of a research project HSE-BR-2025-018 implemented as part of the Basic Research Program at HSE University.
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