Media Literacy by Ellie Plank

How To Be Media Literate

ellieplank — 2024-10-11 15:36:14 UTC

Being media literate means knowing how to spot trustworthy info in the stuff you read, watch, or hear. It's about checking for bias, figuring out what's fact vs. opinion, and making sure the source is legit. It's important to be aware that social media uses algorithms to show you content that fits your preferences. This is super important for students, and everyone, to know! Being media literate prevents false information and prejudices to be spread.

Misconception #1 -Deepfakes

ellieplank — 2024-10-11 15:37:29 UTC

Because AI is getting more advanced and more accessible everyday, we see new problems arising. For example, many people figured out how to manipulate a video to make a celebrities face appear on their own. This created many problems, because non-media literate people believe what they're seeing is real. They could think Tom Cruise is actually endorsing that product, or even that someone committed a crime. This is a great example of why it's important to be aware of media literacy, so we don't fall victim to internet pranks.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/10/04/1080801/generative-ai-boosting-disinformation-and-propaganda-freedom-house/

Misconception #2- Hackers

ellieplank — 2024-10-11 15:47:25 UTC

Just yesterday, my sisters Facebook account got hacked and began selling items from her account. This created a huge issue and confused everyone. My sister should have been more media literate and protected/updated her password. All of her followers should be more media literate and realized that the suspicious activities on her account weren't real. Many people on social media are too easily fooled as well as too trusting.

https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/9/28/23892964/facebook-account-hacked-theft-stolen-online-scams-meta

Teaching Media Literacy

ellieplank — 2024-10-11 15:55:24 UTC

I know how important it is to be media literate. Because I grew up in the age of media, I am more aware of how to be careful online. I know not to trust every article or social media post I see, and I also know to be careful of what I post myself. I will teach my students this by reminding them to always be aware of what they're doing online. I will also teach them to seek their facts from credible sources, such as government or university websites.