Estimated studying time: 4 minutes
Over the previous few years, we’ve all been uncovered to the notion of misinformation and/or disinformation. It may need been somebody who shared an announcement {that a} movie star has died, solely to seek out out that it’s both not true or it occurred 4 years in the past. Or a information company that labels an act of violence as terrorism (or utterly dismisses it) earlier than all of the info are in. Backside-line: as a lot as social media, synthetic intelligence, and know-how have introduced worth, these instruments have additionally created challenges.
So, my guess is that every of us has been vulnerable to misinformation and/or disinformation, and it received’t be the final time. That is our new regular and never one thing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. Even skilled journalists have skilled it. The reply isn’t to cease utilizing the web. It’s to get higher about questioning what we learn and see.
I found a YouTube program known as CrashCourse Media Literacy that focuses on tips on how to eat and consider the media. It may be tempting to suppose that in the event you use the web frequently you already know every thing there’s to know. After watching the CrashCourse Media Literacy program, I’d suggest it to anybody wanting keep grounded and be taught extra about how the web shapes our lives.
The 12 episodes are instructional, informative, and typically even humorous. Not one of the episodes are longer than 10-minutes. I’d wish to suppose that we are able to all afford to take 10-minutes a day to be taught extra about internet media. And I’m not simply speaking about misinformation and/or disinformation. This system does job of defining what media is and the way we have to consider it as greater than social media platforms like Instagram or the location previously referred to as Twitter. I had a couple of takeaways from this sequence that I consider will assist me be a greater media client.
Media literacy isn’t solely about what we share. Sure, it’s vital that we share solely authentic information. It’s equally vital that we don’t assume that the information we obtain is all the time 100% full. It’s doable that we’re solely listening to a small portion of the information or the info. It’s our obligation as a media client to analysis the entire story. We will’t make knowledgeable selections with a fraction of the info. Granted, there may be occasions after we don’t get all of the info and we’ll must determine what to do with that state of affairs as properly. However typically, we are able to discover extra info if we go trying to find it.
It’s vital to know what occurs with our information. I’m not anti-marketing. I believe it’s incredible that advertising departments have entry to client information that helps them make good enterprise selections. That being mentioned, as customers, we have to know what information we’re sharing with corporations and what they’ve permission to do with it. That is very true proper now with synthetic intelligence. I have to admit that I used to be shocked the CrashCourse program included a bit on consumer information, concentrating on adverts, and phrases of service agreements. It jogged my memory that a part of my duty as a media client is understanding what occurs with my information.
Media customers may discover it useful to know the enterprise of media. One other side of this system that I assumed was fascinating was the dialog about who owns what media shops and the way media possession can influence what info we see (or don’t see). This system additionally spent a while speaking about which media entities are regulated by the federal government, which of them aren’t, and why we would need to know that info. Lastly, it mentioned how media corporations create strategic partnerships with the companies that make our telephones, computer systems, and televisions to kind bundles and unique agreements, which can or could not profit customers.
The aim of this text isn’t to scare anybody. It’s to not suggest that anybody ought to shut all their social media accounts. And it’s definitely to not say that advertising and media corporations are doing something unsuitable. The aim of right this moment’s article is to encourage individuals to develop into extra conscious of their relationship with media. The extra conscious we’re, the extra media literate we are able to develop into.
As businesspeople, we spend quite a lot of time on the web. We use articles and reviews from the web in our shows and proposals. We share content material on our social media accounts. We touch upon what individuals write on their blogs, and many others. It’s vital that we’re accountable media publishers which suggests as people, we should discover ways to be media literate.
Picture captured by Sharlyn Lauby whereas exploring the streets of London, England
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