ALGORITHMIC MISINFORMATION AND ITS ROLE IN SHAPING SECTARIAN ATTITUDES AND SOCIAL IDENTITY AMONG UNIVERSITY YOUTH IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Abstract

The blistering development of digital spaces that are supported with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) has dramatically changed how people receive information, and it is estimated that misinformation that is propagated by algorithms and can alter social attitudes spread. The current research paper has studied how the exposure to algorithmic misinformation can influence sectarian attitudes among Pakistani youth in university in Punjab. The research also examined the mediating and moderating effect of critical thinking and strength of social identity respectively in the relationship. Cross-sectional survey was used, and the researcher gathered data on 300 students of different universities in Punjab aged between 18 and 30 years old. Exposure to algorithmic misinformation, sectarian attitudes, critical thinking and strength of social identity were measured using standardized self-report measures. The reliability analysis, correlation analysis, multiple regression, and mediation and moderation analyses were used to analyze data. The results indicated that exposure to algorithmic misinformation had a good relationship with sectarian attitudes in university students. Critical thinking showed a negative correlation with sectarian attitudes and partly mediated the association between misinformation exposure and sectarian attitudes, which indicated that people with greater analytical skills were less vulnerable to the misinformation. Moreover, the strength of social identity played a significant modulating role on the relationship between exposure to misinformation and sectarian attitudes meaning that individuals who had stronger religious group identification were more prone to develop sectarian bias when they were exposed to misinformation. These results underscore the complicated interplay of digital information space, cognitions, and intergroup identity to influence intergroup attitudes. The research will be added to the expanding body of knowledge regarding misinformation and social identity by offering empirical data on the situation in a developing nation. Digital literacy education, media regulation and social harmony initiatives have practical implications that are addressed.