Navigating Misinformation: Information Behavior and Heuristic Decision-Making Among Generation Z Students in Academic Libraries

Abstract

Generation Z, the first generation to grow up fully immersed in digital technology, exhibits unique
patterns of information behavior shaped by continual online engagement and social media use. This
conceptual paper explores how heuristic decision-making affects American Generation Z students’
evaluation of information in academic contexts. Drawing from current research in library and
information science, the paper identifies four prevalent heuristics in Gen Z’s information-seeking
behavior: appeals to authority, form, popularity, and preconceived ideology. These heuristics,
reinforced by the fast-paced and visually driven nature of digital environments, can both aid and hinder
critical information evaluation. The paper examines how these behaviors intersect with issues of
misinformation and the perception of credibility within academic libraries, where students may assume
all resources are inherently reliable. In this context, librarians must design intentional, adaptive
information literacy instruction that acknowledges