Use these strategies to encourage students to think critically about media.
Consider today's media landscape: Anyone can publish content, making extraordinary claims that might be entirely AI-generated, and send it across the globe in seconds. It's overwhelming, and everyone is susceptible to mis- and disinformation. Given the glut of content that students consume, it's crucial to equip them with the media literacy skills they need to cope—and hopefully thrive—in our evolving media landscape.
To do this, our students need to be able to look critically at the content they consume. Though we don't want to encourage cynicism, taking a curious and skeptical stance gives us space to pause and think. And although we know kids won't take a long, rigorous approach with every piece of content, creating this mental framework can safeguard them against being totally passive consumers, taking what they see at face value.
Below are some tips to help you approach media literacy in your classroom as well as some resources to reinforce media literacy skills. Many areas overlap (like confirmation bias and algorithms), but we've given you separate inroads to approach each one with your students.
Using classic critical thinking skills
Whenever you're using a piece of media in the classroom, have students evaluate it using some combination of the classic 5Ws and an H: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. There are variations on this approach (here's one and here's another), but the information we want to consider is generally the same:
- Why was it created?
Figuring out if the content was created to inform, persuade, entertain, represent a political agenda, or some combination of these is a strong first step.
- Why is this content in my feed?
Much of what we see is determined by algorithms, so staying aware of our own filter bubbles reminds us that there may be other points of view we're not seeing.
- Who created it? Who paid for this? Who makes money from it?
It could be an individual, an organization, or even a bot. Drilling down to an original source can provide insight. And following the money can often shed light on the purpose of certain content, the perspective it represents, or the ultimate benefit for the creator.
- Who is the target audience?
It might be a specific demographic, like a group with shared beliefs or people who share the same insecurities or vulnerabilities, for example.
- Who is represented and who isn't? Whose point of view is included, and whose is left out?
Sometimes it makes sense to represent only one group of people or perspective (like when a marginalized group shares experiences, for instance), but in other cases, it's problematic to have a singular viewpoint.
- What techniques are capturing and keeping my attention?
We know that if content evokes a strong emotional response, it's a good idea to reflect on how it was presented—especially if the content is meant to be informative.
- Where am I accessing and finding this information? On which device, app, or platform?
Many young people get their information primarily through TikTok and other social media, which can offer iffy content and commentary.
- When was this published or updated?
More and more, we see older content published out of context as part of a current news story, so we can't always take pictures and videos at face value.
- How does it make me feel?
When we have an immediate emotional response to content—whether it's from a picture, video, or headline—that's when we should be especially curious!
Resources: 5 Questions Students Should Ask About Media, Reading News Online
Addressing bias
Trusted, established news organizations follow principles of journalism that are meant to eliminate as much bias as possible. Even so, the content can lean in one direction or another. Lots of factors determine how and what news outlets report—and what they don't. So in addition to using critical thinking questions, comparing the same story from multiple sources and examining how bias shapes the reporting can be enlightening for students.
In addition to understanding the biases they see in content, students should also be aware of their own. Being aware of confirmation bias—the tendency to seek out information that supports our beliefs—is especially important because algorithms react to our preferences every time we click, like, or comment. Recognizing external and internal bias, understanding the ways they're reinforced, and slowing down enough to be aware (before they share), are important elements of media literacy.
Resources: Challenging Confirmation Bias, Finding Credible News, Where Do We Get Our News and Why Does It Matter?
Being skeptical of social media sources
Many of us are guilty of reposting or sharing a headline without reading the full article and investigating the source, especially as we scroll. But this is how mis- and disinformation spreads. We're also inundated with "hot takes" from influencers and creators who may not have an informed opinion. If students admire certain influencers, they may implicitly trust their opinions on current events and other issues. It's worth going back to those critical thinking questions to consider the motives of creators and their sources of information.
Resources: Is Breaking News Broken?, Is Seeing Believing?, Hoaxes and Fakes
Acknowledging AI influence
The ability to use someone's likeness and voice to create content without their permission makes it that much harder for us to determine what's real. And being aware of how algorithms affect the content we see and don't see is important to media literacy. First, AI literacy is necessary so students understand what artificial intelligence is, what it can and can't do, the bias each AI platform has, and how it affects them. Beyond that, the practice of slowing down to think critically will help us stop the spread of harmful or manipulative content.
Resources: AI Literacy, AI Algorithms: How Well Do They Know You?, Are Deepfake Videos a Threat to Democracy?
