Test your Media Literacy: 10 Indicators to Gauge YOUR Media Literacy in 2021
Whether you’re a Boomer, a Millennial, a Gen Z, or grew up sucking on an iPhone– these ten indicators will test your knowledge in media literacy. In an era facing rapid technological advancements, it’s important to stay hip to our world of ever-changing media. Find out how many you already know of and tally up your score at the end to see how much you know about media literacy.
1. Algorithmic Personalization
The phrase “Recommended for you!” is a term we all know very well by now, and for a good reason. Algorithmic personalization is infiltrating all aspects of the internet. When you order food using DoorDash, while scrolling Netflix, whilst listening to your daily mix on Spotify– algorithmic personalization is tossing and turning in the background. Businesses are collecting information on previous take out orders in relation to your exact location, recommending movies that you will mostly watch due to the genres you binge, and creating playlists for you to listen to that they know you’ll enjoy. Consumer behavior data offers a customized experience through calculated machine learning analytics. This gives businesses the chance to offer precise recommendations in order to keep you, the consumer, engaged in their products. Data collected through the infamous signing of the “terms and services,” allows companies to use your data to market to like minded individuals. It’s a win-win right? Not always. Data is stored and shared all over the web, ending up in advertisers hands, who now know how to directly target your weak spot for over priced Belgium chocolate bars.
2. Fake Sponsored Content
As funny this may sound, fake influencers are promoting real products– for free! Twenty years ago the average pre-teen wanted to be an astronaut, now they want to be a social media influencer. So whats the appeal? The simple answer is, clout. In an era where you can become an influencer from within the walls of your bedroom under your parents roof, credibility and clout is everything. Those trying to become influencer mimic the brand deals that real influencers share with their audiences. Brand deals only occur after an individual using social media to promote themselves has gained a large enough following. A contract is then drafted in order to promote a product (VPNs, makeup, headphones, and pre-prepared meals to name a few). Those who haven’t made it as an influencer just yet take opportunities to promote products on their own terms (and sometimes out of their own pockets) to hopefully gain recognition as a legit influencer.
3. “That’s Fake News!”
Is it really “fake news” or just disinformation? The term fake news gets tossed around like a hot potato these days, popping up on news media headlines week after week. Fake news just scratches the surface of being misinformed. Disinformation and misinformation encompasses a larger ecosystem of inaccurate knowledge. The term has been used to delegitimize real news, and was popularized in recent years by former President Donald Trump. Fake news helps employ what we call a confirmation bias towards topics and events that receive heighten news and media coverage. In reality, dis/misinformation has taken place all across the global for decades. From playing a role in the AIDS conspiracies to making people believe Hillary Clinton owned a certain pizza restaurant.
4. Section 230
We hear about it all the time in the news, but what is Section 230? In 1996, Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act (CDA) stated that an “interactive computer service” cannot be held liable for illegal posts made on their website, app, forum, etc. if they make efforts to remove the post. As technology has progressed, Section 230 has become more and more controversial. Claims have been made that Section 230 allows big tech companies like Meta (Facebook) and Alphabet (Google) to ignore harm being placed on its users. In turn, companies stated above and ones similar must comply to Section 230 and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, creating murky waters for what is and isn’t hate speech.
5. Facebooks recent Blunders
As of October, 2021, Facebook has been under the spotlight due to the allegations brought forth by the whistle blower Frances Haugen. Haugen shared with the US Congress that Facebook exploited young users, influenced global division, neglected misinformation on various topics, failed to remove hate speech, and leaked users data– thats just the tip of the iceberg. Ex-facebook employees have come forward about malpractices within the workplace and lack of attention held towards controversial topics brought up by staff. All this happened right as Mark Zuckerberg announced to the world that he would be shifting his companies to fall under a parent company called Meta. Users have been losing trust in Mark Zuckerberg and his decision to create Meta due to the timeliness of his recent blunders– check mate. Who can blame them?
6. “That’s (Computational) Propaganda!”
Similar to plain old vanilla propaganda, computational propaganda focuses on using misleading and biased information to promote or influence a particular political cause or agenda. “Bots” (sometimes humans, most of the time AI) help sway public opinion over the internet by enlisting the use of social media, websites, and news outlets of varying levels of reputability. As a relatively new tactic, bots use clicks, likes, shares, etc. to spread propaganda messages and mindsets. Computational propaganda can seem convincingly real at times, making it hard to decipher– so watch out!
7. Social Media’s Dark Side
Social media is everyones toxic friend whether we like them or not. Usually kept under hushed tones, social media works away at our ability to stay focused and grounded, resulting in numerous issues. Constant notifications, empty fulfillment, forced multitasking, social comparison, and increased anxiety & depression rates are just a few of the many side effects of constant social media use. With no sight of slowing down, social media use impacts millions of users daily, while offering little support towards mental health.
8. Post-Truth Epistemology?
Post-truth refers to the way in which people form opinions on topics that already have expert and scientific support. Epistemology distinguishes belief from opinion through the nature of knowledge. Some post-truth epistemologies include: anti-vaxxers, flat-earthers, and climate change deniers. Basis of opinion is usually formed from hoaxes or conspiracy theories in order to challenge real truths. President Donald Trump has played a role in spreading post-truth epistemologies to some of his followers, which might have lead to the storming of the US Capitol building on January 6th, 2021. Post-truth epistemologies are frightening, given that any opinions can be created and pushed based on zero factual support.
9. Algorithmic Discrimination
AI is the main contributor to algorithmic discrimination, although those who are behind creating the AI could be at fault as well. Algorithmic discrimination can be biased, racist, and sexist– causing prejudices towards groups. Algorithmic bias and discrimination is broken down into five distinct categories: data that reflects existing biases, unbalanced classes while training data, data incorrectly capturing the right value, data amplified by a feedback loop, and malicious data attack or manipulation. All these factors play into the way AI interacts with its intended purpose.
10. Are you a Micro Celebrity?
Are you? If you’re asking yourself this then take a moment to reflect on your audience. Micro celebrities are people or influencers who become popular due to niche internet fandom or exposure. These celebrities usually become famous over night and impact a specific audience. Usually boasting a mere sub 100,000 followers on social media and lacking a verified tag, micro celebrities hope to make it big in the land of popular internet celebrities.
So how’d you do? Are your media literacy skills as sharp as you thought? Lets find out…
1–2: Maybe let’s brush up on some media literacy. It’s the 21st century for crying out loud!
3–5: Okay, okay, we’re getting somewhere. Bet you didn’t know what computational propaganda was ;)
6–8 Nice! I’d say you’re just where you need to be media literacy wise. It doesn’t hurt to learn something new right?
9–10 KILLIN THE GAME! High-five, you know more than most about media literacy. Keep it up, you’re on the front lines!
