INFORMATION LITERACY AND INFORMATION MEDIATION IN ADDRESSING CYBERCRIMES AGAINST THE ELDERLY

Abstract

The increased access to digital technologies and the intensification of information circulation in virtual environments have amplified challenges related to the critical and safe use of information, especially among older people. In this context, disinformation practices and cybercrimes highlight situations of informational vulnerability among the elderly. The objective of this research was to analyze, through a review of the scientific literature, how information literacy can act as a strategy to address the digital vulnerability of older adults in the face of cybercrimes, proposing informational infographics as devices for information mediation. This is a bibliographic, exploratory, basic research with a qualitative approach, carried out in the BRAPCI and SciELO Brazil databases, between July and August 2026. The literature analysis, comprising six studies, allowed the identification of three central categories, defined a priori: information literacy, informational vulnerability, and information mediation. Based on these categories, three infographics were developed, conceived as potential contributions to informational autonomy, critical evaluation, and digital security of the older population, not yet submitted to validation with this audience. It is concluded that information literacy, articulated with information mediation, has the potential to contribute to the reduction of digital vulnerabilities, aligning with SDG 3 of the 2030 Agenda by proposing strategies to promote the well-being, autonomy, and protection of older people.