A new report is diving into how Asian Americans get their news, navigate online spaces, and deal with misinformation — and the findings paint a complex, nuanced picture.
Released Friday by Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, the report, Beyond Language Translation: Asian Americans, News and Information Seeking, and the Circulation of Problematic Narratives Online, shares insights from 12 focus groups made up of 101 Asian American participants, ages 15 to 91.
Some key findings: older adults tend to trust traditional media more than digital sources, while younger people often take a skeptical view of all outlets but still rely on social and digital media for news. Many participants had differing ideas about what counts as misinformation, and how to spot it.
“This research is just the beginning in understanding how Asian Americans navigate the digital landscape and how to combat mis- and disinformation online,” said Lia Nitake, Senior Director of Technology, Telecommunications and Media Policy at Advancing Justice – AAJC. “This report emphasizes that Asian Americans are not a monolith—and neither are their information seeking habits.”
The study also found that seniors and recent immigrants are especially vulnerable to scams and misleading content online—often due to language barriers or limited digital literacy. That digital divide can lead to bigger problems, especially when it comes to finding community resources or understanding important government updates.
Researchers say the issue goes beyond simple language barriers. Tackling misinformation effectively, they argue, means addressing the broader social, historical, and even geopolitical contexts that shape how people consume and interpret digital content.
In short, not everyone’s scrolling through the internet the same way—and those differences matter.
The report calls for more nuanced solutions that go beyond basic translation and instead meet people where they are, culturally and generationally.
To read the full report, go to https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/Beyond-Language-Translation-digital-compressed.pdf