Introduction: Social media have become one of the most influential sources of information during political and military crises. Among these platforms, Telegram has played a particularly significant role in Iran due to its widespread popularity and rapid dissemination of information. During the 12-day imposed war of Israel against Iran, Telegram emerged as a primary channel through which users accessed news, exchanged information, and interpreted ongoing events. Given the speed of information circulation and the coexistence of official and unofficial news sources, understanding the role of Telegram in shaping public opinion is of considerable theoretical and practical importance. This study aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to Telegram news, trust in news sources, and the formation of public opinion, while also investigating the moderating role of users' cognitive skills and critical thinking.
Methods: This study adopted a quantitative survey design. Data were collected from 200 Iranian participants aged between 15 and 39 years using convenience sampling. A researcher-developed questionnaire consisting of 29 items across four dimensions was designed based on a five-point Likert scale. The questionnaire assessed exposure to Telegram news, perceived credibility of news sources, cognitive and critical thinking skills, and public opinion formation. Data analysis was conducted using Spearman's rank correlation, linear regression analysis, and Hayes' moderation analysis to examine both direct and moderating relationships among the variables.
Results: The findings revealed a strong positive relationship between exposure to Telegram news and public opinion formation (r ≈ 0.930, p < 0.001). Regression analysis demonstrated that perceived trust and credibility of Telegram news sources explained a substantial proportion of the variance in public opinion formation (R² = 0.930). Furthermore, moderation analysis indicated that cognitive skills and critical thinking significantly weakened the positive effect of exposure to Telegram news on public opinion formation. Participants with stronger critical thinking abilities were less likely to form opinions solely based on repeated exposure to Telegram content, suggesting that cognitive competence serves as a protective factor against uncritical acceptance of information.