Media is a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, so integrated that we cannot live without being affected by it. What we watch shapes our perception on topics, it changes our behaviors, and it has become a major part of our culture. Research from the National Center for Health Statistics from July 2021 – December 2023 revealed that teenagers from the ages of 12-17 spend four or … [Read more...] about Media Literacy Guide for Minorities
Disinformation
Faculty & Librarian Collaboration on an Information and Media Literacy Undergraduate Course
Abstract Teaching media and information literacy is a necessity to address issues of dis- and misinformation, wellbeing and self-efficacy in the digital era by enhancing the ability to access, analyze, and evaluate various perspectives and resources. Working together with a research librarian to offer access to resources and practices on analysis is the low hanging fruit in a … [Read more...] about Faculty & Librarian Collaboration on an Information and Media Literacy Undergraduate Course
The Colors of Disinformation: Disinformation and the Literacy Landscape
Abstract We are now living in an age of “fake news,” which is not a new phenomenon, but its current iteration has highlighted the various dimensions of how people interact (or do not) with information - information consumption is so much more than people's immediate cognitive processing. This video essay will address some of the colloquial language that can be applied to … [Read more...] about The Colors of Disinformation: Disinformation and the Literacy Landscape
The Concerns of Artificial Intelligence
The history of visual media has demonstrated that the truth does not lie in a plain image. A picture speaks louder than words; it can also tell lies. Artificial intelligence is increasingly illustrating disinformation. As technology has made advancements, it has been harder than ever to distinguish between photos depicting the truth and photos intended to distribute … [Read more...] about The Concerns of Artificial Intelligence
The 2016 US Election and Yellow Journalism
While a variety of very significant problems have plagued America since its establishment as an independent nation in 1776, one issue that traces back to the country’s beginning, yet also remains relevant in current times, is the creation and spread of inaccurate information. Though today’s culture typically characterizes this issue as fake news, it is first important to … [Read more...] about The 2016 US Election and Yellow Journalism
The Prevalence of Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance Capitalism, Disinformation, and Biased Algorithms Amplify the Need for Critical Skills Applied to Media
Abstract Algorithm-driven technologies are transforming our world. Digital algorithms possess the epistemological algorithmic authority to shape, reinforce, and limit society by determining what we see and do not. While some public and private efforts exist to mitigate the harmful effects of these powerful digital technologies, few measures exist to prepare K-12 students for … [Read more...] about The Prevalence of Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance Capitalism, Disinformation, and Biased Algorithms Amplify the Need for Critical Skills Applied to Media
Social Media as a Primary Vehicle for News
In our growing age of technology and increasing dependence on our devices, individuals have turned to digital news rather than broadcast or print to be informed about current events. “In these days of pandemic, protests, economic recession and angst among the world’s population a recently issued report shows that consumers continue to shift away from traditional media sources … [Read more...] about Social Media as a Primary Vehicle for News
Internet Memes: an Element of Coping Mechanism or a Tool for Propaganda Disinformation?
In times of calamities such as pandemics or wars, humor, as acknowledged by many scientists, serves as a coping mechanism that helps to endure stress, despair, and depression. Paradoxically, jokes and satirical images proliferate during war times. Gallows humor consoled soldiers during World War I. Humor and comedy were broadcasted and published during World War II to keep … [Read more...] about Internet Memes: an Element of Coping Mechanism or a Tool for Propaganda Disinformation?
Just Look Up!: The Sixth IPCC Report, Polar Temperature Spikes, and the Slap Seen Around the World
Don’t Look Up, the Oscar-nominated Netflix film warning of the dangers of an impending planetary crisis, was repeatedly criticized because its satire of US politics and media was seen as a heavy handed and melodramatic caricature. But the spectacle of Will Smith’s live TV assault on Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony and how it obscured alarming climate news, … [Read more...] about Just Look Up!: The Sixth IPCC Report, Polar Temperature Spikes, and the Slap Seen Around the World
Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things
The modern issue with media literacy is our production of big data without any knowledge of how it is being used. As technology advances our understanding of how it operates decreases. I feel it is the media’s job to help inform the public more about ways they can learn and prevent possible threats from appearing in their own homes. One huge area with little attention is the … [Read more...] about Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things
Media in America… The Road Ahead of Us
Media is all around us at all times. Every screen we have is a source of information: from the big screen on your wall, to the small screen in your pocket. According to corparitech.com, “the average American spends 7 hours and 11 minutes looking at a screen every day” (CompariTech). We are more surrounded by media than ever. Simultaneously, public trust in media is falling … [Read more...] about Media in America… The Road Ahead of Us
From practice to policy? What lies beneath
Can media literacy policy be developed to deliver social justice, to empower the most vulnerable subalterns so that they can feel represented? There are technological, ideological, and socio-political structures that govern media messages and this creates the paradox that media literacy cannot study what remains unarticulated. An upcoming virtual global summit holds the rich … [Read more...] about From practice to policy? What lies beneath
The Harm and Cost of What Misinformation/Fake News Is Doing to Us as a Nation
We live in a world with misinformation, and fake news exists and is at an all-time high. From social media to the internet as a whole, the number of people making fake accounts with false information to get views and money is rising rapidly. For example, on a website like Wikipedia, you can edit and put whatever information you want, and an unsuspecting visitor to that page … [Read more...] about The Harm and Cost of What Misinformation/Fake News Is Doing to Us as a Nation
Heuristics (…why we’re susceptible to disinformation)
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation, or mistaken information, and disinformation, intentionally falsified information, became increasingly pervasive. Conspiracy theories saturated corners of the internet, wholly emerging into both political discourse and kitchen-table gossip. From outlandish claims that 5G cell phone towers spurred the pandemic to overtly … [Read more...] about Heuristics (…why we’re susceptible to disinformation)
My Introduction to Media Literacy
I first came across media literacy not as an advocate nor as a teacher but as a high school senior in 2017. My junior year of high school coincided with the 2016 Presidential election. Buzzwords like “fake news” and “disinformation” saturated the pixels on my computer screen, and questions about journalistic integrity and objectivity permeated the very ink of the articles I … [Read more...] about My Introduction to Media Literacy
