Project title: New rules of information: Media habits of young people in the age of digital
fragmentation (Nova pravila informiranja: Medijske navike mladih u doba digitalne
fragmentacije), Acronym: MIND (FPZG-IP-11)
Thematical area of the project: Journalism, media systems
Duration of the project: 48 months (start date: 10/2025 – end date: 09/2029)
Total cost: 56.178,75 EUR (100 % EU contribution NextGenerationEU)

Principle investigator (PI): Assistant professor Nikolina Borčić

Research team members:
Assistant professor Petra Kovačević (FPZG)
Full professor Marijana Grbeša Zenzerović (FPZG)
Full professor Maja Šimunjak (FPZG)
Assistant professor Milica Vučković (FPZG)
Silvija Vuković, PhD (FPZG)
Dejan Oblak, PhD candidate (FPZG)
Assistant professor Dunja Majstorović Jedovnicki (FPZG)
Nensi Blažević, PhD (FPZG)
Stela Lechpammer, PhD (FPZG)
Kristian Došen (FPZG)
Full professor Tena Perišin (associated external expert, FPZG)
Associate professor Gabrijela Kišiček (associated external expert, Faculty of Humanities
and Social sciences)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
In the age of digital fragmentation, the media habits of young people are undergoing profound
changes that directly affect their information literacy and, therefore, their participation in
democratic processes. This project aims to investigate how young people in Croatia perceive,

value and consume information content, with a particular focus on topics that shape their lives,
such as education, housing, environment, political participation, etc. The information literacy of
young people on these topics is a question of content accessibility, but also a fundamental
democratic prerequisite. Without credible, understandable and engaging information, it becomes
challenging to make informed decisions and actively participate in social life. The project
approaches young people as active users, shaped by the logic of social networks and videos who
seek information not only for facts, but also for emotional resonance, style and form. The
research combines quantitative (surveys), qualitative (interviews, media content analysis, focus
groups) and experimental methods (testing content prototypes). The research includes formats
that can be relevant and affectively more effective than traditional news.
Young people also participate as content co-creators in participatory workshops, where
alternative styles of information are tested and designed. The goal is to identify approaches that
simultaneously maintain journalistic credibility and meet the affective, aesthetic and
communicative expectations of young people. The result of the project will be prototypes of new
formats, recommendations for media and educational actors, and publications that offer
concrete solutions for informing the new generation of citizens. The project contributes to a
better understanding of the communication gap between the media and young people and offers
concrete solutions for overcoming it, based on modern communication practices and an
interdisciplinary approach.

Contact: Assistant professor Nikolina Borčić (nikolina.borcic@fpzg.hr)