Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic changed our world forever, we at Alterea began to develop a spy-themed, educational, digital event called Agents of Influence. This event was designed as a week-long, interactive story meant to educate players about threats online. We launched our event in October of 2020 to help fight the “infodemic” that surrounded the presidential election … [Read more...] about Agents of Influence: Testing Our Educational Video Game
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IC4ML Summer Updates
As we all return from a much needed summer break, IC4ML would like to acknowledge some important events and connections made over the summer. We ask you to join us in congratulating our President, Belinha De Abreu and Board Member, Jeff Share for the honors they received this summer at the NAMLE Conference. Belinha De Abreu received the NAMLE Media Literacy Researcher Award … [Read more...] about IC4ML Summer Updates
“Africa, I Will Fleece You” —Media’s Power & Influence
“Does a crime against humanity exist only when the victims are white,” asks the Cameroonian filmmaker Jean-Marie Teno in his first feature-length documentary, Africa, I Will Fleece You(original title, Afrique, je the plumerai). I first came across the 90 minute film last Fall in a French course, and I was immediately enthralled. Released in 1992, Africa, I Will Fleece You … [Read more...] about “Africa, I Will Fleece You” —Media’s Power & Influence
Book Review: Naomi Oreskes’ Why Trust Science?
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press) In her 2019 book, Why Trust Science?, history of science professor Naomi Oreskes does a wonderful job discussing the complexity of this question. She takes a difficult task and rather than simplify it, she dives deep into an exploration of the historical and philosophical roots and traditions of Western science, taking the reader … [Read more...] about Book Review: Naomi Oreskes’ Why Trust Science?
Lil Nas X
About a month or so ago, I got into a vehement argument with a good friend of mine. Our passionate conversation escalated quickly, and it reached a newfound intensity for most of our debates. And yet, the debate emerged from a very casual, unassuming subject: a music video. We discussed Rapper and Popstar Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call me by your name)” music video. In part, I … [Read more...] about Lil Nas X
In Remembrance: John Fiske—A Great Mentor
I had two great mentors in my PhD program—David Bordwell and John Fiske. I learned with much pain and sadness that John Fiske has passed away (here is his obit). I was lucky to have been asked twice to write about John and his impact on the field of cultural studies. This morning, I find myself rereading one of the two essays which has a passage describing how John enter my … [Read more...] about In Remembrance: John Fiske—A Great Mentor
René Magritte and Media Literacy
I do not believe that I would be farfetched in claiming that the Belgian Surrealist René Magritte’s painting The Treachery of Images(1928-1929) remains among the world’s most ubiquitous works of art. The image is familiar: a brown pipe with a black stem rests in front of a beige background. Magritte has given the pipe dimension: it curves smoothly and it seems to reflect an … [Read more...] about René Magritte and Media Literacy
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)
A Tribute to a Grand Pioneer of Media Literacy Education: Marieli Rowe
Inspired, brilliant, empathetic, and classy are all words that describe my friend, mentor, and confidant — Marieli Rowe. She was at times for me the voice of reason and the one who supported many of my ideas and reflections on media literacy education…and much more. We met at Appalachian State University what seems like a lifetime ago. However, even before then, her name and … [Read more...] about A Tribute to a Grand Pioneer of Media Literacy Education: Marieli Rowe
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
