Schools should teach media literacy
It has never been easier to spread misinformation, either deliberately or by accident, than it is right now. The digital age has amplified a diverse set of voices on social media, for better or worse. While many users are well-intentioned and act as online educators, they have the capacity to spread fake news, which can irreparably harm the public good. And spread it does: An often-cited study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that fake news reaches people about six times faster than the truth. Even outside of deliberately fake news, it is easy for information to be taken out of context in a short-form social media post.
More than three quarters of Generation Z relies on social media for news. Although X, formerly known as Twitter, is the most commonly used social media website by journalists, the general public decidedly prefers Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for their news. Younger generations increasingly rely on social media influencers rather than journalists to interpret and report the news.
This dependence on social media for news can skew public opinion on important issues and erode trust in important institutions. Conspiracy theories ran rampant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Baseless claims of voter fraud online in recent elections, both domestically and internationally, has perhaps sowed irreparable mistrust in democratic processes. Social media poses a new challenge in its lack of fact-checking mechanisms and its platforming of users without journalistic backgrounds.
To combat these problems, we must equip future generations with the skills needed to succeed in interpreting today’s ever-evolving media landscape; it is in our best interest to have a population that can discern fact from fiction. This can be done in part by requiring media literacy education for high school students.
How can we think critically about the media that we consume? Where are potential sources of bias in coverage? What information might be doctored or created entirely by artificial intelligence? How do we ascertain what is most important from what is least important? These are all important questions that can, should and need to be taught to students. Although this subject may lie outside the traditional topics of math, science, English and social studies, these skills are still widely applicable.
The need for increased media literacy has made itself abundantly clear. A 2019 report from Stanford University found that high school students had a near-total inability to accurately analyze and evaluate media sources. For example, two-thirds of students could not tell the difference between content and advertisements. Additionally, 96.8% of students could not explain why ties between a climate change website and the fossil fuel industry might raise concerns as to the website’s credibility.
Many states have already been proactive in requiring media literacy programs for students. California recently joined Delaware, New Jersey and Texas as the only states requiring media literacy instruction for K-12 students. The bill, signed into law in 2023, required core subjects to incorporate media literacy into the curriculum framework.
Such initiatives have been proven to be effective in promoting critical skills in media engagement. A separate 2019 study by researchers at Stanford University found that students who received just six 50-minute lessons in media literacy were twice as likely to identify questionable sources as students who did not participate in the lessons.
Of course, there are some problems posed by legislation such as those passed by California, Delaware, New Jersey and Texas. There is only so much time in the school day, much of which is critical for teaching other valuable skills. “Curriculum overload” can cause significant problems, such as stress for teachers and students and under-coverage of content. However, as demonstrated by the aforementioned laws, standards can be integrated with other subject areas. Additionally, the Stanford study illustrates that media literacy lessons do not need to be time-intensive to be effective.
The state of Michigan should join these other states in requiring media literacy programs for K-12 students. Such an action is not entirely without precedent; in 2022, Michigan enacted a law requiring high school students to earn at least half a credit in “financial literacy” before graduation. Michigan, along with other states, should pass legislation requiring media literacy education for all students to ensure that future generations have the skills to navigate today’s media landscape. By instituting media literacy education in schools, we can nurture an informed future electorate, capable of discerning fact from fiction, fostering thoughtful discourse and contributing positively to the complex media landscape of the 21st century.
Hayden Buckfire is a student at the University of Michigan. This article was originally published by The Michigan Daily and is posted here with permission from Hayden Buckfire.
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