Introduction
Media Literacy Week is next week!
To celebrate, I want to explore the importance of media literacy, the news about Facebook and the edtech sector.
Media literacy is now
For a long time, I’ve written about why media literacy is the most important skill of the 21st century. To me, the skill goes beyond knowing how to use social media. It even goes beyond how to spot fake news. Media literacy is about developing the ability to think critically about any piece of information.
“Our entire lives revolve around using the Internet to accomplish daily tasks such as shopping, booking appointments and doing taxes and to distract and amuse ourselves with entertaining content such as cat videos. In this way, media brings together our lived experiences with the multiple realities, truths and ideas, often all at once.”
Introduction: Why media literacy belongs in every school, Jean Boampong
Everything – information, research, details, specifications and approximations – starts with a story. Our job is to continue to figure out which stories we should be telling, when, where, to whom and why. You and I both know this isn’t easy at all! Sometimes, the stories we tell don’t translate well to our audience. Other times, people can misinterpret stories something completely different. Also, they can change their meaning over time.
This is all part of why I became an education copywriter. I want to help companies and organizations tell better stories. Stories are how we move forward. So when the news broke about Facebook, I knew I had to write something.
Facebook did it, again
According to leaked internal research, Facebook and Instagram contribute to and worsen body image issues that teenage girls have. Additionally, Facebook has kept this research for years and, according to whistleblower Frances Haugen, the company chose to ignore it. This news follows an outpour of concern regarding Instagram for Kids, an Instagram platform for kids 13 years and under.
In a lot of ways, this was confirmation of something we’ve known for a long time. Social media can have a negative impact on teenagers. For those of us who have worked with young girls, we have seen this first hand. I have seen girls question themselves and the way that they exist in comparison to strangers with excellent photoshopping skills. Furthermore, I’ve even seen them question their cultures and their own lived experiences as a result of social media content. How can they not? Look at the messages they are receiving on a regular basis. Search engines, social media algorithms and online advertisements all contribute to what we understand to be reality. The stories we tell ourselves and each other can often reflect that.
Social media is designed this way
In the span of a few minutes, any regular user can consume:
- instant breaking news
- endless opinions
- advertisements for body modifications
- plain old mean comments
Facebook executives and researchers argue that social media doesn’t impact everyone in a negative way. But it’s a moot point. It really doesn’t matter. The story about negative impact is already there and it is already wreaking havoc on young people. Truthfully, that’s enough to start ringing the alarm. Furthermore, when you know better, you should do better. And Facebook did not do better.
Edtech, get ready
There is no governing body that holds education technology companies to a standard for education outcomes. In other words, there isn’t a standardized way of knowing how these companies and their products are actually positively impacting schools, students, teachers, administrations and more. What we do know is that these apps have:
- made parts of the school experience easier
- been used for surveillance and discipline of students
- expanded their reach within education systems
- existing data and privacy issues
Who or what has questioned the need for edtech tools?
Education technology companies tend to bank on selling a future that only a few people (and the same people) get to imagine. So, the need for tools is ever present. It never goes away. Edtech companies can always continue to increase their stakes in education systems. In other words, they can continue to tell stories that we believe we want to hear.
This is what I kept coming back to as I read the news about Facebook. Facebook had information and chose not to share it in part because there were better stories out there. During the time that the research remained hidden, Facebook expanded its reach, created new features and even started new initiatives around news literacy.
I’m not saying that all edtech stories are bad and that the whole sector is a gimmick. I wouldn’t be working within it if I thought so! Actually, I am saying is that education technology should be subject to the same critique and scrutiny that other apps, products, services and online platforms are. I don’t believe that we should assume that this technology can do no harm. There are stories about edtech have shown us otherwise, such as those about surveillance.
Still a long way to go
The stories we tell matter. I feel like a broken record when I write this, but it’s true. Media literacy is necessary to storytelling that reflects the experiences and truths of people and communities. It’s also important in the creation of technology that makes a positive impact. As the edtech industry continues to grow, I hope that we continue to ask more critical questions about what the future holds and who gets to imagine it.