Political psychologist Dannagal Young says that the platforms are designed to focus attention on things other than whether content is accurate or not, adding, “Everyone is susceptible to disinformation.”
In terms of social media, I need to teach my students to stop. First read every stinking word. Exactly what is the writer claiming?
By the way, “read every stinking word” is something of a mantra in my classroom. We especially use it in math class. Students come up to my desk and say, “I don’t get number 7.” I say, “Ok. Read it out loud to me.” They start to read it, and about halfway through they stop and say, “Oh. Never mind. I get it now.” As they walk away, I smile and say, “Read every stinking word.” We chant it out loud together during lessons. I write it on the board before math tests.
Read every stinking word.
Second, they need to exercise caution. Analyze the ideas being presented. Is there enough credible evidence to back up the writer’s claims? (If a stranger sitting next to you on an airplane started making the same claims and offered the same evidence, would you buy it?)
Third, media sites (and their algorithms) are designed to link you to other sources that agree with what you just read. Then that article will link you to something else that agrees with the ideas, but even more so. And so on. We call that “going down the rabbit hole.”
Don’t click on the links!
Fourth, go back to Google or Bing or DuckDuckGo and enter the subject of the article in the search engine. Find other credible sources and compare what they have to say to what the writer of the original piece said.
Finally, it’s ok to be skeptical about the information coming at you like a firehose. You don’t want to be so openminded your brains fall out.
I love the “read every stinking word” reminder. We all (students and digital natives especially) are so used to skimming and scrolling that we forget that really simple and important point. My media literacy unit is my favorite to teach as an ELA teacher because I believe so strongly in applying those skills outside the classroom. Also, thanks for giving me a laugh with the last line. There is definitely a difference between open minded critical thinker and an open minded, non-discerning sponge.
I echo all of this in my classroom, Jan. It is such a tough time to teach research and critical thinking— and even more important than ever! So many teachers balk at the difficulty of research projects, from a management perspective. However, our students learn so much when they follow their own leads and let curiosity, careful judgment, and some good guidance take them to new learning.