The digital age has made it easy for anyone to create media contents. An average person consumes a huge amount of information from wide array of sources, far beyond the traditional media (TV, radio, newspaper, magazine). There are text messages, memes, viral videos, social media messages, adverts and more. But all this media shares one thing. Someone created it and it was created for a reason. Understanding that reason is the basis of media literacy.
What is Media Literacy?: Media literacy is the ability to understand, create, evaluate and critisise mediated messages. It is a process where individuals tries to critically examine information that passes through the media.
As defined by core principle of Media Literacy Eduction " The purpose of media literacy education is to help individuals of all ages develop the habits of inquiry and skills of expression that they need to be crucial thinkers, effective communicators and active citizens in today's world.
Media literacy education is sometimes conceptualized as a way to address the negative diversion of media, including media manipuations, gender and racial stereotypes, sexualization of children, concern about loss of privacy, cyberbulling and interest predators. (-Wikipedia.org)
To understand media literacy better, it is important to be a able to identify the following:
• Misinformation: This is derived from mistakenly passing information that is false, but not created with the intention of causing harm. For example: a social media handler posting out of date information but not realising it.
• Disinformation: This information is deliberately created and disseminated. The information could either be harmful or not. For example: posting a false statistical data about a competitor/organization.
• Malinformation: it is a deliberate act of spreading information that is harmful to the society. This information is based on reality, used to inflict harm on persons, organization or country. E.g: A citizen journalist posting a false picture of one tribe in effort to ignite hatred for that particular group he/she is against.
•Hate Speech: This is an information that is intended to dereligate or shame a race, institution or an organization.
• Fake News: It is a sensationalized information. If it is fake, it is not news. Fake news is an oxymoron. Other words could be used if it news in context( Misinformation, Malinformation or information disorder)
• Information Disorder: Disorderliness in the distribution of information without the intent of harming.
Information disorder is the most common of them all. It houses all other related terms. It can come in either of this format;
- Click bait: (A text or thumbnail link design to attract attention to a website.)
- Misleading headlines
-Poor quality journalism
- False imposer content/ Misleading content.
- Satire or parody (Amusing or entertaining content)
Steps To Identifying Information Disorder:
Information can easily be identified and verified after some basic digging. It is important to check the source if it credible or not, check the author, check the comment section, check your own biases, check if it a joke and lastly fact- check.
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