"Am I Making the Most of the Online World?" - German Bitkom Survey Reflects Germany's "Self-Assessment" and the Reality in Japan

1. The Self-Assessment of "Average 3.1" Highlighted in Germany

In a national survey published by the German IT industry association Bitkom on June 2, the self-assessment of media literacy among internet users averaged "3.1 (satisfactory)" when converted to school grades. Those aged 16–29 rated themselves at "2.5," while those aged 75 and older rated themselves at "4.1," indicating lower confidence among older age groups. Only 26% claimed they could detect fake news, and a mere 17% said they could identify altered images and videos. More than half reported having been deceived by Deepfake at least once, indicating that the perceived risk is becoming quite familiar. unternehmen-heute.de

2. Comparing with Japan's Latest Data

Meanwhile, in Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications "ICT Literacy Survey" (published in May 2025), 35.2% answered that they believe their ICT literacy is high. Among teenagers, this figure is relatively high at 55%, but it drops to the 20% range for those aged 60 and over. The percentage of people who have "spread false or incorrect information in some form" is 25.5%, similar to Germany's 52% who have "experienced being deceived by Deepfake." Importantly, while about 88% believe "literacy is important," only 24.7% take concrete actions, highlighting a "gap between awareness and action." INTERNET Watch

Comparison Points (Summary) Severity of Self-Assessment: Germany uses a "grading system" with an average of 3.1, while in Japan, 35% "believe they are high." Although the scales differ, both share the point that "more than half lack confidence." Advantage of Younger Generations: In both countries, those in their teens and twenties have relatively higher confidence, but the generational gap is more pronounced in Germany. Exposure to Misinformation: The experience of spreading or misrecognizing misinformation is 25–52% in both Japan and Germany, indicating that "misinformation has become routine" online.

3. Background of Generational and Educational Disparities

• Digital Native Generation vs. Transitional Generation The Z generation, for whom smartphones have been standard since school age, has mastered "strategies" for app UI and search but often relies on school education for the "methodology" of verifying fake news. In Germany, media education is becoming mandatory in each state, but disparities between systems are pointed out as an issue.

• The "Middle-Out Risk" for the Working Generation Those in their 30s to 50s are keen on mastering tools for work efficiency, but they cannot keep up with misinformation countermeasures. The Bitkom survey result that "57% have experienced being unable to distinguish whether an image is an advertisement or a report" suggests the risk of "accidental sharing" in practical work. unternehmen-heute.de

• The Issue of "Information Weakness" Among the Elderly In Japan, many elderly people rely on "LINE" for information, and closed timelines can become amplifiers of misinformation. In Germany, there is a narrative spreading on social media that "WhatsApp groups are hotbeds of fake news."

4. What Do Reactions on Social Media Indicate?

• Immediately after the announcement of the trend survey in the German-speaking world, the tags "#Medienkompetenz" and "#Deepfake" surged on X (formerly Twitter). Posts with a hint of irony, such as "Despite low self-assessment, they criticize 'others' ignorance'" and "Bitkom should fund AI bots that automatically generate 'verification threads,'" appeared one after another. In Bitkom-related threads, there were also many voices expressing concern about foreign interference in elections, with figures from a separate survey in February showing "89% are concerned about foreign interference" being re-quoted. Reuters

• Trends in the Japanese-Speaking World In Japan, "#メディアリテラシー" and "#ICTリテラシー" became trending topics. On note and blogs, explanatory articles analyzing the "echo chamber created by algorithms" went viral, and on Hatena Bookmark, comments focusing on the "problem of 'thinking it's important but not acting'" were concentrated. note

• Common "Fatigue" Posts from users in both countries prominently express "fatigue from information overload" and "no time to verify everything," indicating "literacy fatigue." Academically, the "asymmetry of fact-checking costs and diffusion speed" is pointed out, and there is a limit to users continuing to verify voluntarily.

5. Next Steps for Companies, Governments, and Educational Institutions

Theme Germany's Actions Japan's Actions Prospects

IPA Independent Administrative Institution Information-technology Promotion Agency

6. Potential for Japan-Germany Cooperation in the "Generative AI Era"

• Development of Joint Verification Algorithms Research institutions in both countries are exploring an international project to prove the authenticity of AI-generated content using blockchain.

• Sharing Support Models for the Elderly Japan's "Municipal Digital Support Staff" system and Germany's "Digital Ambassadors for Seniors" are collaborating to jointly produce online courses.

• Digital Integrity in Elections There is a proposal to form "mutual monitoring teams" for the Japanese House of Representatives election scheduled for autumn 2025 and the German state elections, to jointly monitor foreign information manipulation.

7. Conclusion—The Key to Bridging the "Literacy Gap" is a "Companion Ecosystem"

Germany's "self-assessment" of "average 3.1" is not someone else's problem. Japan is also in step with the structure of "feeling it's important but not acting." The key lies not only in "individual effort" but also in

1. a technological foundation that reduces verification costs across society,

2. a "companion ecosystem" where schools, communities, and companies share roles and enable continuous learning,

3. and "international comparison and cooperation" that circulates knowledge across borders.

Now that generative AI has dramatically lowered the threshold for information generation, can Japan and Germany take the lead in "implementing literacy"? This should become a real model case for "how to deal with" a global network society swayed by misinformation.