Abstract:

Empirical studies confirm that confidence in experts, scientists or experts has declined at an alarming rate in recent years. This is one of the indicators that the company has serious shortcomings in dealing with sources of information, but also in the interpretation of these sources. Currently, the credibility of information is a huge problem, as its volume is huge and is produced by everyone who has a taste for and access to the Internet. The availability of information, the simple and inexpensive way of disseminating it, and the opportunity to impress the masses have made many lay people "all-experts." The paper presents the theoretical basis, which is followed by their own research, which was carried out in a group of 52 high school students of the first and fourth year. The aim of the research is to identify the factors that increase the credibility of the reports from the perspective of the two research groups, i.e., high school students at the beginning and end of their studies in high school.

The research confirms that the credibility of disinformation among respondents grows mainly under the influence of five factors:
(1) attitude homogeneity;
(2) the attractiveness of the report (i.e. I like it);
(3) environmental impact;
(4) momentary feeling (believability);
(5) fear.

The contribution of the research is also the qualitative reflection of the findings and other observations recorded in the group of secondary school teachers.

Keywords:

High school students' trust, credibility, disinformation, homogeneity, Internet.