Communication and Social Sustainability: Information Disorder and the Risk of Pollution in the Italian Hybrid Media Ecosystem

Abstract

Over the past three decades, a social dimension of sustainability has been established. Much like the environment, society also suffers from forms of pollution that pose a threat to community development. The phenomenon of information disorders, commonly referred to as fake news (FNs), represents an emblematic case of pollution of public discourse. This is particularly evident in the hybrid media ecosystem, where individuals construct their own information pathways in response to a process of deep mediatization. Considering this scenario, especially in the Italian context, research was conducted to investigate the impact of fake news on social sustainability. The survey was constructed around four research areas: sociodemographic factors, news consumption patterns, information disorders, and personal values. A non-probabilistic sample of the Italian population was drawn, totaling n = 399 individuals distributed throughout the country. The responses were analyzed using both single-variate and multivariate analyses. Specifically, a Social Sustainability Index (SSI) was synthesized from the analysis of sustainability indicators. This index revealed four levels of different behaviors concerning media use, political orientations, and especially, belief in fake news. Thus, a link seems to emerge between sustainability and the ability to inhabit the communication ecosystem properly.