The Repercussions of Information Pollution on the Intellectual Security of Young People

Abstract

Information pollution is one of the topics of great importance  as one of the threats to the intellectual security of society, by virtue of its link to knowledge and its issues in all areas of life from culture, education, education, security and others, so the issue of information pollution and its discussion has become an urgent necessity that no two disagree on. Hence, this study came as an attempt to reveal the repercussions of information pollution on the intellectual security of young people.  The importance of the study stems from the fact that it discusses a topic characterized by a scarcity of writings about it, and the researchers hope that this study will serve as the seed for more studies on the topic. The study aimed to reveal  the repercussions of information pollution on intellectual security among Saudi youth in the Eastern Province by identifying the  basic concepts of information pollution and its forms, studying the relationship between information pollution and intellectual security among young people.   And the motivations of young people towards the use of information, assessing the level of awareness of Saudi youth about the phenomenon of information pollution. To achieve this, an electronic questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of young people of varying ages, educational levels and work environments, where the questionnaire was widely distributed through the use of the application (WhatsApp) and other means of communication to measure their level of awareness of the concept of information pollution and identify its causes from their point of view and its repercussions on their intellectual security. The number of young people who interacted with the researchers and answered the questionnaire questions reached (151) young men and women, which is the sample that was relied upon in the objective analysis and access to the results, the most prominent of which are: Poor awareness of the phenomenon of information pollution among the studied sample, where the results of the study resulted in that 54% of the sample members have no knowledge of information pollution.  The study also proved that unreliable websites are among the most sources of information pollution, followed respectively by social networks, satellite channels and audiovisual media by (24%), and perhaps  the most prominent repercussions of information pollution for the studied sample  is the construction of a fragile culture that is not real by (43%), followed by the dissemination of ideas contrary to the orientations of society by (32%).

Based on these results,  the study  made some recommendations  that can enhance young people's awareness of the phenomenon of information pollution and its repercussions on intellectual security, most notably: Academic institutions should intensify their efforts to raise students' awareness and improve their thinking skills to reduce the impact of information pollution. Establishing clubs and facilities for various activities and encouraging all young people to attend them by providing all possible facilities to occupy their free time and reduce their use of technology, Activating the role of public libraries and libraries of cultural clubs in raising awareness of the dangers of information pollution through seminars and lectures held in them,  the need to apply deterrent laws to those who publish information aimed at incitement or manipulation by falsifying facts or any behavior that contradicts the ethics of information circulation.