Understanding the dark social and shedding light on online deception among children

Abstract

Social media platforms not only furnish occasions for children to inform each other about what is happening right now, but also cause them to engage with the obtained information within their networks through sharing, reposting, commenting, liking, and direct messaging in order to bridge, bond, communicate, discover, and take action among themselves. In this study, the existing literature on the duality of social media was reviewed in order to shed light on online deception as a problematic stance among children. The dark social is inevitable for public connection as a means to connect individuals' private worlds. Following the discussions on the functionalities of social media platforms, the characteristics of online deception were matched and adapted to provide a general viewpoint on how to spread and fabricate social media lies and rumors. Applying the concepts of social media duality, online deception, and digital literacy skills, this study provides the literature for researchers and educators engaged in bringing new queries into the field. © 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.