Recently, many young adults in my circle have enthusiastically supported and joined in on the call-to-action to be digitally literate so I decided to share this with you. The basic gist is that for professional success, it’s vital to get your info. from legitimate news sources and you’ll also have to counteract misinformation.
Here’s a check-list to help you steer the path to digital literacy (vs. being manipulated) –stay in the driver’s seat!
- Ask yourself: Who is the author and why did this author post the info?
- If you see something false: inject truth with respect to the sharer (this person may be mislead).
- Follow members of the free press and journalists who are proven, established, research-driven and who work for legitimate news sources: Associated Press, Reuters, NPR, BBC, Wired, Time, WSJ, National Geographic, New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN, PBS, CSPAN, Washington Post and more.
- Take note of how much time you spend on news passively vs. seeking factually correct, high quality news sites.
- Unfortunately, social media algorithms reward shares and likes of incorrect info. Social media transparency features can help you discern fact from lie. Scrutinize the content before sharing it to make sure it’s true vs. an emotional reaction.
- Follow educational leaders: @DisinfoPortal @Graphika_NYC @FSIStanford @HumaneTech Podcast
These Fact-Checkers can help you confirm/share truth:
Educate yourself about online manipulators of conspiracy theories:
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- Harvard and Oxford reports on disinformation
- Smarter Every Day’s YouTube series on social media manipulation
- Deep fakes: TikTok Example
- “Pizzagate” and real violence outcome
- U.S. Dept. of Justice: Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election
- NBC’s Factory of Lies on 2016 Russian election interference