Publish at November 22 2021 Updated November 26 2021
Social networks have been in the hot seat for some time, especially Facebook. Already, these huge platforms are amassing their users' data and selling it for a premium, plus whistleblowers have reminded us that especially Mark Zuckerberg's giant was lax on security and the fact that the network has been used to radicalize fringes of the population around the world.
The beginning of 2021 has dramatically shown the deleterious effects of online propaganda with the attempted coup by Donald Trump supporters on January 6. The latter, not having digested the defeat of their candidate, attempted to storm the Capitol. A tragic event that will have left five dead, many injured and left a deep scar on the American social fabric.
In the weeks that followed, the calls went out in the media: it's time for schools to teach cyber citizenship. Digital literacy seemed essential to them since gaps in it had led to these sad events, which means, among other things, knowing how to detect information intoxication.
The divisive context of the American population makes it even more difficult to implement this kind of teaching. Indeed, all it takes is for parents of students to doubt the "official" information on a school board or school district for these initiatives to fall.
In a society where 56% of Republicans believe QAnon is at least partially right, this appears problematic. As a reminder, the movement claims that a pedo-satanist cabal has been set up by American elites and that only Donald Trump can eliminate them. Violent acts and numerous threats have been made citing this movement adopted generally by far-right individuals. And the QAnon ideology has crossed American borders and some of its advocates are in other Western countries such as Canada or France.
In such an explosive context, calls for digital literacy are multiplying everywhere by experts. Are they right to be concerned? Haven't young people who were practically born with these technologies developed the skills to see the manipulations? Not completely if studies are anything to go by, including one by Viavoice in France published in 2021. 28% of 18 to 24-year-olds trust information shared on social networks more than in the media. 47% of them think it is less necessary to consult an article seen on the networks at its source.
A paradox is also seen with young people. Thus, 71% of 3rd graders trust traditional media against 27% for social networks. Yet, despite this, 71% of them get their information only through this channel. So how can we ensure that teenagers are more consistent in their approach to information? It seems that education is the answer.
For sure, teachers have a lot to worry about. How do you teach to guard against effects that may affect them themselves? That's the importance of informing and educating children about cognitive bias. The covid-19 crisis has been the scene of a great deal of guesswork and smoky theories. By learning how the brain can sometimes react in a knee-jerk fashion and why we should be wary of it, we can partially prevent adherence to misinformation.
The French Association for Scientific Information, by the way, suggests that teachers teach critical thinking to their students. This means being able to evaluate more calmly of a received information. To achieve this, the organization submits 4 prerequisites:"
- to have knowledge about the subject under study, or to acquire knowledge;
- to doubt methodically and to know when to trust;
- to be able to question one's certainties (and, in the end, perhaps change one's mind depending on the contradictory arguments put forward);
- and to seek epistemic rationality, i.e., a requirement to base one's opinions on solid evidence, in other words, to aim to bring our opinions as close to reality as possible."
So, yes, it is necessary to doubt, even policy speeches of course. Now, this requires a method and also requires good arguments in order to actually refute or confirm shared information. This is often the part that is missing in those who adhere to conspiracy theories, among others. The lack of evidence for their view of the situation, for them, is a demonstration that something is going on. Critical thinking invalidates this kind of cognitive error.
Teachers need to address the concepts of science, "pseudoscience", "facts" and "opinions". Differentiate them and show examples of these. Especially since initiatives by the media themselves such as the Decoders or the Decoders can offer many examples plucked from the news of the moment. And then, why not offer young people to write articles but from verifiable sources? The Student View project in Britain is a good example.
Parents also have their role to play in digital literacy. It would be helpful if they taught their children early on about misinformation and the importance of asking questions about what they see online. There are actually resources specifically for them to introduce the topic to young people in the family unit. Obviously, this must come with some critical thinking already in place in the adult. A parent who believes in falsehoods is more likely to instill more misinformation. Hence the importance of the school addressing possible shortcomings at home.
This issue of learning digital literacy is at the forefront of current concerns. The European Commission has put out a call for experts in 2021 to come up with ideas and curb, if not stop, the spread of misinformation online. It now remains to be seen what their proposals will be. So a topic that is not about to become stale given the frequent presence of fake news online.
Illustration: Obi Onyeador on Unsplash
References :
Asselin, Christophe. "Fake News: The Importance Of Education, Awareness And Empowerment." Social Media Listening and Analytics Blog - Digimind Blog. Last updated March 16, 2021. https://blog.digimind.com/fr/tendances/fake-news-importance-education-sensibilisation-autonomie.
Burrell, Ian. "How News Course The Student View is Teaching Students About Misinformation and Media Literacy." Inews.co.uk. Last updated April 5, 2021. https://inews.co.uk/opinion/columnists/news-course-student-view-teaching-young-people-misinformation-media-literacy-942014.
Caroti, Denis. "Training Teachers to Teach Critical Thinking." Afis Science - Association Française Pour L'information Scientifique. Last updated March 24, 2021. https://www.afis.org/Former-les-enseignants-a-enseigner-l-esprit-critique.
Cary, Allison. "How To Teach Your Kids About 'Fake News'." Youthspeakoutint.org. Last updated December 28, 2020. https://youthspeakoutint.org/2020/12/28/how-to-teach-your-kids-about-fake-news/.
"Education and Training." Education and Training - European Commission. Last updated: 3 June 2021. https://ec.europa.eu/education/news/call-for-experts-tackling-disinformation-promoting-digital-literacy_en.
L'Heureux, Kassandra. "Our Brains in Front of the COVID-19 Infodemic: Teaching Cognitive Bias to Help Students Cultivate Doubt." Association Pour L'Enseignement De La Science Et De La Technologie Au Québec. Last updated May 2021. https://www.aestq.org/fr/spectre-50-3/notre-cerveau-devant-linfodemie-covid-19-enseigner-les-biais-cognitifs-pour-aider-les-eleves-a-cultiver-le-doute.
"Fighting Fake News And Disinformation | Internet Issues." Internetmatters.org. Last updated June 19, 2020. https://www.internetmatters.org/fr/connecting-safely-online/advice-for-parents/tackling-the-hard-stuff-on-social-media-to-support-young-people/spotting-fake-news/.
Oattes, Trevor. "Opinion: Media Literacy is Essential Education." The Fulcrum. Last updated February 14, 2021. https://thefulcrum.ca/opinions/opinion-media-literacy-is-essential-education/.
Owen, Brenna. "Kids Need Media Literacy Education to Match the Rise of Social Networks: Experts." CTVNews. Last updated December 11, 2020. https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/kids-need-media-literacy-education-to-match-the-rise-of-social-networks-experts-1.5226764.
Singer, P.W., and Michael McConnell. "Want to Stop the Next Crisis? Teaching Cyber Citizenship Must Become a National Priority." Time. Last updated January 21, 2021. https://time.com/5932134/cyber-citizenship-national-priority/.
"Truth or Fiction: Teaching Digital Literacy to Children is Vital to Combating Online Disinformation." Southern Poverty Law Center. Last updated October 1, 2021. https://www.splcenter.org/news/2021/10/01/truth-or-fiction-teaching-digital-literacy-children-vital-combating-online-disinformation.
Wyman, Christina. "Teaching Students to Think Has Become a Risky Proposition." Salon. Last updated October 1, 2021. https://www.salon.com/2021/10/03/afraid-to-teach-critical-thinking/.
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