Media Literacy & AI: Home

What assumptions do you bring to evaluating information sources? How could these help or hinder your ability to think critically?

How are access to information, evaluating sources, and understanding media bias critical for citizens to make informed decisions?

What are some key questions and concepts that can be used to analyze media critically? 

Key questions involve examining who created it, techniques used, different interpretations, values represented or omitted, and the purpose. Concepts include recognizing different experiences of the same media, embedded values, and profit/power motives.

How does critical media literacy build on basic media literacy? What unique perspectives does it contribute?

Critical media literacy analyzes power dynamics, ideologies, and issues of identity/representation related to class, gender, race, etc. It questions problematic messages and celebrates positive ones. 

Why is understanding issues of identity important for critical analysis of media?

Identity is central because media shape and reproduce cultural ideas about identities. Critically examining representations of identities and who has power over them is key.

What kinds of power dynamics should we consider related to media creation and messaging? 

We should examine who has power in media creation, which voices are marginalized, and how media messages influence ideas about identities, reinforce norms, and represent different groups.

Read:  “Media Literacies” https://criticalmediaproject.org/media-literacies/ 

Watch:  “How False News Can Spread” (3:41) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSKGa_7XJkg

Read:  “Making the Connection Between Media Literacy and Democracy”  https://newslit.org/updates/making-the-connection-between-media-literacy-and-democracy/

Read:  "Think Deepfakes Are Bad? ‘Cheapfakes’ Are Far More Dangerous" https://www.thedailybeast.com/think-deepfakes-are-bad-cheapfakes-are-far-more-dangerous

Watch “Why Do Our Brains Love Fake News?” (5:20) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNmwvntMF5A 

Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms. It is an essential skill in the digital age, where we are constantly exposed to different types of media and information. As you evaluate information on the Web, consider these questions:

• Authority: Who is the author or publisher of the website? What are their credentials, qualifications, or expertise on the topic? How can you verify their identity and credibility?
• Accuracy: Is the information on the website factual, reliable, and correct? How can you check the validity and quality of the information? Are there any errors, inconsistencies, or contradictions on the website?
• Objectivity: What is the purpose or goal of the website? Is it to inform, entertain, persuade, or sell something? Does the website show any bias, opinion, or perspective on the topic? How does the website use language, tone, images, and other elements to convey its message?
• Currency: When was the website created or updated? Is the information on the website current, relevant, and timely? Does the website provide any sources, references, or links to support its information?
• Coverage: How comprehensive, complete, and in-depth is the information on the website? Does the website address different aspects, perspectives, or viewpoints on the topic? Does the website leave out any important information or questions?

Watch:  “SIFT:  Evaluating Web Content” (4:27) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NAkkcxbM5k 

Read:  “Scientists Explain Why ‘Doing Your Own Research’ Leads to Believing Conspiracies” https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7bjpm/scientists-explain-why-doing-your-own-research-leads-to-buying-conspiracies 

How do search engines and algorithms shape what information we receive? What biases do you notice?

How might search strategies unintentionally reinforce biases, and how can media literacy help individuals navigate these challenges?

Watch:  Safiya Noble, Internet Studies and Digital Media Scholar, 2021 MacArthur Fellow (4:00)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFzuMCUIah8

Attribution - Noncommercial - NoDerivs 3.0 Unported

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.