Really pleased that the report on #AILiteracies I wrote with @epilepticrabbit for BBC R&D has now been released! 🙌

It was delayed due to the charter renewal process, and other stuff. So hopefully it still stands up to scrutiny...

https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/responsible-innovation/responsible-innovation-centre-ai-literacies-young-adults.pdf [PDF]

#AILiteracy #DigitalLiteracies #DigitalLiteracy

PsyPost: New research suggests truth has a natural competitive edge over misinformation. “Truthful messages are more persuasive and more likely to be shared than false ones, according to new research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The findings, drawn from four large experiments, challenge the widespread belief that misinformation naturally spreads more […]

We are proponents of teaching critical thinking skills and digital literacy, so in honor of April Fool's Day we want to let you know that we have some great free teaching resources in our Media Literacy Collection.

These lessons cover social media literacy, surveillance, propaganda and disinformation, visual literacy and more. The lessons are based on award-winning films from around the world like And So It Begins (Philippines), Navalny (Russia), The Cup (Tibet/India).

Whether you want to boost your own media literacy skills or support your students in navigating their media world, we've got something for you. Check it out!

https://journeysinfilm.org/film/media-literacy-and-journalism-lessons/

#MediaLiteracy #DigitalLiteracy #CriticalThinking #Education #Homeschooling #GlobalEducation

The Conversation: It’s not just gen Z – older adults need help spotting online misinformation too. “In 2024, nine in ten people in the UK reported seeing misinformation on social media. Yet only 3% of the population had taken a media literacy course. While there is working being done to ensure technology is accessible, users must have the skills and confidence to recognise if they are being […]

I've spent days observing both sides of this polarising technology in my circle.

The anti-AI stance seemed loudest - even from people I admire, which is a shame.

Yes, I'm wary of AI being crammed down our throats and of the grifters. But for those of us in tech who understand what it can do, the proactive move - and a better way to push back against the foie gras - is to help people around us navigate this tool cautiously.

#AI #DigitalLiteracy #CriticalThinking

Thought for today - Digital Addiction.
Are we addicted to social media? Health apps? Work-function assistant apps? Organisation apps? News apps? E-commerce apps? Are we just addicted to life as techno-solutionism in all forms? Are we addicted to using any apps just because it feels like fun, a game, entertainment?

In the social media case, I believe a large amount of 'the addiction attraction' is hyper-personalised consumerisation. The interweaving of narcissism, social acceptance, conformism, life-worth-as-economic-value, life-worth-as-social-media-measurement, added to the intense emotional reward of buying things to reaffirm sense of self and fitting in, make the digital social+product marketplace a very alluring space to occupy. Instagram's whole business case is this.

Remember, the Iron Curtain did not fall due to intellectual debate or ideological challenge. It fell because of Levi jeans and Coca Cola.

Smartphones are really fun. Even old phones before the digital revolution were fun. Kids, mums and anyone who had time and felt sociable would be on the phone for hours. Calling friends when you were a teenager was a mandatory part of growing up. "Get off the phone!" was a common shout from your mother. We even stood in the phone box in the evenings because it felt like fun.

The breakpoint came when people started being born who did not know what life was like before the digital revolution. It's them that are now paying some kind of psychosis price for these addictive toys. But it's not only socmed, it's everything that is digital.

But you know, I love my phones. I love their character, their style, their functionality. They really are part of who I am. Somebody really should make completely customisable shells for phones. They'd make billions.

#socialmedia #socialmediaaddiction #digitalliteracy #datasociety #academia #academicchatter

Img:
Nhung Le/Unsplash

The development of sustainable digital boundaries is essential in an era of constant connectivity and gamified risks. 🏛️🌐

I am sharing an important new resource by Matt Shea: "7 Practical Ways to Stop Gambling Before It’s Too Late." A valuable read for those interested in digital literacy, ethics, and psychological well-being.

Full article here:
🔗 https://www.mattsheabooks.net/7-practical-ways-to-stop-gambling-before-its-too-late/

#PublicInterest #DigitalLiteracy #MattShea #MentalHealth #Ethics #ConsumerSafety #Books #Author #Writing #Reading

Digital Life Skills:  Managing your health online:  Register with ‘Learn My Way’ and learn all about how to find information and access health services.  ➜  https://www.learnmyway.com/explore-the-subjects/managing-your-health-online

#DigitalInclusion #DigitalLiteracy #SocialInclusion

The Conversation: Using your AI chatbot as a search engine? Be careful what you believe. “Search engines rely on articles and text about a given topic, and then weigh how reliable those articles are. Generative AI instead relies on huge bodies of text, from which it measures the odds of words appearing next to each other. These ‘large language models’ are purely looking to generate […]