Relationship between Media Literacy and DeepFakes Recognition on Health Information Seeking Behaviour of Youths in Benue and Plateau States

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between media literacy and deepfake recognition among youths in Benue and Plateau States given that youth in Nigeria increasingly rely on online platforms for health-related information. The broad objective was to find out how media literacy and deepfake recognition influence the health information-seeking behaviours of youths in Benue and Plateau States. Anchored on the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Media Literacy Theory, the research adopted survey as research design and collected data from 394 respondents. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that one-third of youths in Benue and Plateau States demonstrated strong media literacy skills by critically evaluating online health information, while a significant proportion engaged passively, consuming or sharing content without verification. Further findings show that only about one-fifth of the sampled respondents could reliably detect deepfakes, with the majority struggling to identify manipulated content, highlighting their vulnerability to health misinformation. The findings also show a strong positive relationship between higher levels of media literacy and the ability to recognise deepfakes, with over half of media-literate youths successfully identifying manipulated content compared to just 12.2% of those with low literacy. The study also reveals the recognition of deepfakes as influencing health information-seeking behaviours, though unevenly with some respondents becoming more critical in verification, while others resorted to avoidance or offline reliance. The study thus concludes that strengthening media literacy among Nigerian youths is essential for empowering them to navigate deepfakes and build resilient, evidence-based health information-seeking behaviours.