The prevalence of multi-channel information consumption, which involves the simultaneous engagement with multiple information sources across various platforms, underscores the urgent need for research on its effects as it profoundly influences how individuals seek, evaluate, and interact with information, ultimately shaping their information-related choices and behaviors. Using an innovative empirical method to extract a set of latent groups based on individuals' multi-channel practices, the study examined the role of channel plurality relative to how people evaluate and consume information online. Importantly, this research examined how conditions of the critical literacy and practices can be configured to benefit six distinct generational groups, ranging from the youngest generation group (1990s) to the oldest generation (1950s). Based on results of a nationally representative survey ( = 10,032), the current research demonstrated how individuals’ channel plurality contributes to their critical literacy and information verification behaviors. Finally, this study identified differences in information practices manifested in six generational groups. In the end, this study bridged two streams of research, new media literacy and the digital divide, and discussed how different educational and regulatory approaches can be made to encourage critical information consumption in an increasingly digitized network environment.

中文翻译：

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多渠道使用和在线参与对于关键素养和信息验证行为重要吗？ 1954年之前（战争一代）到Z一代（1997年后）六代人的综合比较


多渠道信息消费的盛行，涉及跨平台的多个信息源的同时参与，凸显了对其影响的迫切需要研究，因为它深刻影响着个人寻求、评估和与信息互动的方式，最终塑造他们的信息相关的选择和行为。该研究使用创新的实证方法根据个人的多渠道实践提取一组潜在群体，研究了渠道多元化相对于人们如何在线评估和消费信息的作用。重要的是，这项研究探讨了如何配置关键素养和实践的条件以使六个不同的代际群体受益，从最年轻的一代群体（1990 年代）到最古老的一代（1950 年代）。基于全国代表性调查 (= 10,032) 的结果，当前的研究证明了个人的渠道多元化如何有助于他们的批判素养和信息验证行为。最后，本研究确定了六代群体在信息实践方面的差异。最后，本研究弥合了新媒体素养和数字鸿沟这两个研究流，并讨论了如何采取不同的教育和监管方法来鼓励在日益数字化的网络环境中消费关键信息。