{"id":16139,"date":"2022-01-28T16:19:58","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T15:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/?p=16139"},"modified":"2022-02-07T10:04:11","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T09:04:11","slug":"is-digital-citizenship-the-answer-to-dealing-with-tricky-online-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/type\/featured-articles\/is-digital-citizenship-the-answer-to-dealing-with-tricky-online-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Digital Citizenship the answer to dealing with tricky online content?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Amy Johnson & Michael Cowling<\/strong><\/strong>, CQU, Australia.

It\u2019s been a tough few years at Meta (Facebook), as they\u2019ve come under increasing pressure to put better protections on their social media protections to support younger users. Based in part on leaked internal studies which showcase the harm for teenagers<\/a>, advocacy groups, parents and academics have joined the call in demanding social media giants to fix the situation, including shifting algorithms to \u2018nudge\u2019 younger users away from problematic content which might impact their mental health<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While shifts to algorithms could be part of the solution, we suggest blocking users from content isn\u2019t the only, or perhaps even the best, option. Addressing the problem from an algorithm-based approach is an attempt to manage users<\/a>. It has a strong focus on social media users as passive consumers of information, rather than content creators. By simply blocking tricky information, it fails to teach younger users how to engage with and create content which is accurate and well-suited for online distribution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image from Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In short, we think there is a missed opportunity to encourage people to confidently and positively engage with digital technology. Technology is a tool, and we need to train people in how to use it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach is one we take in many aspects of life with younger people. As banning teens from the road doesn\u2019t teach driving, blocking problematic content doesn\u2019t encourage safe online behaviours. Just as we show younger drivers how to manage risk when on the road, we need to show how to manage risk in online spaces. And to do this, we need to make sure teens have the literacies and knowledge they need to make smart choices beyond just using their common sense<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In particular, if we\u2019re talking about education, we\u2019ve got two options. Media literacy is one of those, and certainly an approach which has been well adopted in the education of younger people. Media literacy is having the skills to identify different types of media and the messages embedded within. This is certainly vital, and so far media literacy has been a popular choice for building critical thinking skills and safeguarding younger people online- so much so that media literacy is increasingly embedded in school curriculums<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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