Media and Information Literacy Repository – South Asia

Today, fostering media and information literacy (MIL) among citizens is essential for preserving democracy. The effectiveness of scalable interventions, particularly those employing lateral reading, a fact-checking heuristic, is well recognised. Our digital workshop, designed to model lateral reading from a user's perspective, has proven beneficial in educational settings and has garnered expert endorsement. Addressing recent scholarly calls to understand the underlying mechanisms of successful MIL interventions, our study is anchored in Cognitive Load Theory. We examine how different instructional modalities in our workshop influence engagement with lateral reading and how effectively it is executed. The study separates implicit text feedback and hands-on video instructions, previously combined, in a full-factorial design using a parallel-group RCT. We analysed the responses of 178 upper-secondary students in the online workshop and conducted a detailed video analysis of 30 students participating in a controlled environment at their schools. Our findings reveal that hands-on video instructions notably enhance both the engagement and effectiveness of the lateral reading heuristic. This study underscores the significance of a human-computer interaction perspective in designing more impactful media and information literacy interventions.

The social character of ethics is best revealed by exploring the complex dynamics linking individuals’ freedom to moral requirements. In this article, we consider James Laidlaw’s influential proposal that an anthropology of ethics makes freedom central to what is distinctively ethical in human life, but we argue that it unduly restricts the proposed scope of anthropology. This account of freedom is both overly cognitive, focusing on reflection, viewed as involving distance, decision, reasoning, and doubt, and too individualistic, downplaying the importance of freedom’s normative background and excluding from consideration many documented forms of ethical experience. We propose instead an alternative, more open-ended conceptualization of freedom, distinguishing a concept of freedom that differs from its widely varying conceptions, and drawing on ethnographic material from the Hunza Valley in Northern Pakistan and elsewhere to illustrate multiple ways in which the constitution of selves and normative constraints impinge on one another.

Information literacy is a critical topic in contemporary pedagogy and information science. It is ranked among the essential competencies for the 21st century, and in recent years, it has received increasing research interest. The problem, however, is that research has focused mainly on primary and university (college) contexts and only rarely analyzed secondary school settings. This paper, therefore, focuses on a group of high school students and examines whether the literature’s idea of their needs corresponds to their actual needs. Based on the analysis of 32 documents indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, the paper identifies seven significant discursive areas addressed in the literature, both theoretically and empirically. These are: the relationship of libraries and librarians to the development of information literacy, information evaluation, the relationship of information literacy and learning competencies, connection with other competencies, emphasis on the constructivist approach, the social dimension of information literacy, and its possible use for self-actualization. These topics form a specific research discourse. In the second phase of the research, focus groups (8 groups in 4 schools, 41 students) on information literacy were studied through the seven essential discourses mentioned. Although our sample lacked reflections on the relationship between the library and high school students, the remaining six fundamental discourses appeared in the testimonies of high school students (libraries and librarians, evaluation of information, learning competencies, connection with other literacy, constructivist approach, the social dimension of information literacy, and information literacy as a means of self-actualization). The findings show that the main difference between literary discourse and student responses lies in the perception of libraries as centers of information literacy development, with students preferring the school or their teachers instead.

All theories of world creation, whether scientific, philosophical, or religious, can readily acknowledge the fact that humans have primarily evolved to engage with nature, the individual self, fellow human beings, society, and other naturalistic aspect of existence. Nevertheless, several novel challenges ascend when the human mind engages with technology, media, machines, and related concepts such as—ChatGPT, artificial intelligence, and to name a few. For that reason, we need philosophy and critical assessment of the uncovered essence of advanced technologies, media and machines and our way of life concerning them. In other words, protectively assessing their impact requires a thorough examination of ethical and existential concerns, including technology’s implications for freedom, AI’s evolving role, the essence of human being, and the unexamined transformative societal changes that follow. Building upon the premise that these phenomena share a common thread despite their apparent disparities, our interdisciplinary pursuit draws inspiration from philosophical luminaries such as Luciano Floridi, Karamjit S. Gill, David Kaplan, Aldous Huxley, Martin Heidegger, Hannah Arendt, and Gandhi. Through philosophical insights, we explore the essence of technology and its broad effects, with a focus on its impact on human freedom and essence in both public and private domains.

This article has two objectives. The first is to conceptualise digital media literacy as a multi-dimensional concept by differentiating media content from media device. A broad range of skills is required to use digital media, and each dimension can be clarified by separating the device from the content. The second goal is to relate social exclusion to digital media literacy. How people use digital technology has long-term outcomes that could be either beneficial or disadvantageous. In the first part of the article, the multi-dimensional aspect of digital media literacy is discussed. Dimensions include the abilities to access, understand and create both in the area of device and content. The second part of the article discusses how social exclusion is related mostly to the third dimension of digital media literacy: the ability to create and participate.

This paper builds on the collaborative work of media researchers and professionals as well as education decision makers and teachers that met in Graz, 5- 7 December 2007, at the invitation of the Council of Europe. The purpose of the workshop was to determine the validity of media education and to verify that human rights could be an added value to such an education. Three main questions were debated, that built on each other: 1) “Which media literacy?” focused on an assessment of the various definitions of media education, trying to come to terms with the distinction between old and new media, old and new literacies. 2) “Which competences, skills, attitudes and values?” considered the core elements for developing coherent literacy training programmes and sought to identify the integration of human rights in current methods of teaching. 3) “How to develop these competences, skills, attitudes and values?” discussed concrete examples of best practice, especially those dealing with interactions between public and private sectors and old and new media. It also examined how to evaluate the efficacy of empowerment practices and policies, raising issues of awareness, self-regulation and the role of the state and of Intergovernmental Organizations such as the Council of Europe

The concept of critical media literacy expands the notion of literacy to include different forms of mass communication and popular culture, as well as deepens the potential of literacy education to critically analyze relationships between media and audiences, information and power. The authors argue that critical media literacy is crucial for participatory democracy in the twenty-first century, and that the only progressive option that exists is how to teach it, not whether to teach it. The article, first, explores the theoretical underpinnings of critical media literacy and demonstrates examples from community-based after school programs and an inner-city elementary school that received a federal grant to integrate media literacy and the arts into the curriculum.

Ideal for professors who want to provide a comprehensive set of the most important readings in the philosophy of technology, from foundational to the cutting edge, this book introduces students to the various ways in which societies, technologies, and environments shape one another. The readings examine the nature of technology as well as the effects of technologies upon human knowledge, activities, societies, and environments. Students will learn to appreciate the ways that philosophy informs our understanding of technology, and to see how technology relates to ethics, politics, nature, human nature, computers, science, food, and animals.

The Society of Control is a philosophical concept developed by Gilles Deleuze in the early 1990s to highlight the transition from Michel Foucault’s Disciplinary Society to a new social constitution of power assisted by digital technologies. The Society of Control is organized around switches, which convert data, and, in this way, exercise power. These switches take data inputs (digitized information about individuals) and transform them into outputs (decisions) based on their pre-programmed instructions. I call these switches “automated decision-making algorithms” (ADMAs) and look at ethical issues that arise from their impact on human freedom. I distinguish between negative and positive aspects of freedom and examine the impact of the ADMAs on both. My main argument is that freedom becomes endangered in this new ecosystem of computerized control, which makes individuals powerless in new and unprecedented ways. Finally, I suggest a few ways to recover freedom, while preserving the economic benefits of the ADMAs

Recent developments in European media policy have given priority to the notion that all citizens need to be digitally literate to fully participate in the emerging Information Society. Media literacy or digital literacy, it is argued, will be required to able to exercise informed choices, understand the nature of content and services and take advantage of the full range of opportunities offered by new communications technologies. Further, being media literate, citizens will be better able to protect themselves and their families from harmful or offensive material.

Free market capitalism is understood by most Americans as instrumental to the American dream, providing ordinary people with the economic means for their pursuit of happiness. The benefits of free enterprise, however, accrue increasingly to a small fraction of already wealthy high income earners, corporate shareholders, and business interests with a long, consistent, and well documented history of antagonism towards the interests of consumers, workers, society, and the natural environment. Emerging models of geopolitics, the economy, and the corporation suggest that this elitist, anti-regulatory posture of business is fast becoming obsolete as the value of human capital gains currency in the knowledge-driven, creative economy of the market state. The emergence of the market state can be viewed as a movement toward economic democracy, in which people expect accountability from business and free enterprise as a platform for achieving their goals and realizing their dreams.

Introduction: Information literacy has become indispensable in navigating today’s fast-paced media environment, with teachers playing a pivotal role in fostering reflective and critical digital citizenship. Positioned as future gatekeepers, pre-service teachers are the key to teaching media skills and especially information literacy to future generations of pupils. Given the particular challenges facing educators today compared to previous generations, it is important to determine whether the next generation of teachers feel adequately prepared and perceive themselves as competent to pass on these skills to their future pupils. However, previous research has highlighted deficiencies in formal learning opportunities at universities, underscoring the need for further investigation into pre-service teachers’ information acquisition, evaluation practices as well as their perceived relevance to teaching, and person-related factors associated with their perceived competence in teaching information literacy.Method: An online questionnaire was presented to participants, employing a mixed-method approach. We qualitatively examined the sources of information used by pre-service teachers and the evaluation strategies they employ, while quantitatively analyzing relationships between pre-service teachers’ person-related factors and their perceived teaching competence. Participants assessed their perceived teaching competence, perceived learning opportunities, self-efficacy (general and related to information assessment), perceived informedness, selective exposure, need for cognition, need for cognitive closure, and mistrust in media coverage.Results: Data from 371 participants revealed digital media dominance in information acquisition over traditional sources, albeit with a prevalence of surface-level evaluation strategies over reflective approaches. Two distinct dimensions of perceived competence in teaching information literacy emerged: one focusing on information assessment while the other centers on the understanding of news creation processes. Perceived competence in teaching information literacy was significantly associated with self-efficacy in information assessment, perceived informedness, selective exposure to information as well as perceived learning opportunities focusing on information evaluation. Moreover, pre-service teachers employing diverse information evaluation strategies demonstrated a heightened sense of perceived competence in teaching information assessment.Discussion: Our results provide valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of pre-service teachers’ perceived competence in teaching information literacy. Theoretical implications for future research as well as practical implications for teacher education and the structure of future curricula are discussed.

MIL (Media and Information Literacy) is a stand-alone course integrated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2011, which directly relates to an individual's daily communication and lifelong learning abilities. Nonetheless, promoting the MIL curriculum in universities worldwide is difficult since specific countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, have their frameworks, standards and models for teaching and evaluating IL or MIL. After analyzing 91 relevant articles, the researchers found that universities still need to accept the MIL curriculum worldwide. In terms of curriculum frameworks, most of the existing studies adopted the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) IL curriculum framework proposed by the American Library Association (ALA). In comparison, the MIL education framework proposed by UNESCO has been not adopted fully. It will take time to synthesize ML and IL into a stand-alone course due to resistance to pedagogical reforms, overloading students, limited classroom, and faculty training gap. The promotion of student-centeredness, educational equity, gender equality, decolonization, anti-racism, rethinking Eurocentrism, white centrism and bridging the digital divide will become a universal value in the MIL curriculum in universities MIL modules will be integrated into the core curriculum of different disciplines in a flexible manner. The involvement of academic library staff in the MIL education process will become more widespread. As educational technology (EdTech) and communication technologies become widely integrated into MIL education, encouraging students' participation in the design and process of the MIL course will be more prevalent.

The advent of digital media has profoundly transformed political campaigns and voter behavior, reshaping the landscape of political communication and electoral processes. Digital platforms, such as social media, websites, and online forums, have enabled political candidates to engage with voters more directly and efficiently than ever before. Through personalized messaging, targeted advertising, and real-time interaction, campaigns can now tailor their strategies to specific voter demographics, harnessing data analytics to influence opinions and mobilize supporters. Additionally, digital media offers voters unprecedented access to information, allowing them to evaluate candidates and issues from multiple perspectives. However, the same platforms also present challenges, such as the spread of misinformation, echo chambers, and polarization, which can distort public discourse and affect voter decision-making. This paper explores the dual-edged role of digital media in modern political campaigns and its impact on voter behavior, including the implications for democratic participation and the integrity of electoral processes.

This paper examines literature from the COVID-19 period (2020–2022) to outline prevalent themes and essential competencies in the post-COVID era. Employing informetrics within a quantitative research approach, the study scrutinizes Scopus database data using the terms COVID-19, e-learning, e-commerce, and media and information literacy. Results reveal a surge in scholarly focus on e-commerce, online learning, e-health, and ICTs, including social media. A total of 355 media and information literacy terms were identified, with digital, information, health, and media literacy at the forefront. Moreover, 244 corresponding competencies and skills were noted. The study emphasizes the necessity for comprehensive media and information literacy programs, diverse competencies, and stakeholder engagement in fostering a digitally literate society. Prioritizing skill development for navigating digital landscapes is vital amid the fourth industrial revolution, laying the groundwork for adept usage of media, information, and digital realms.

Concerns about the spread of disinformation, information disorder, and fake news have grown to unprecedented proportions in recent years. This study aimed to explore how to mitigate this communication disorder and achieve a balance in the relationship among the public, the media, the dominant institutions, and the digital influencers in society. This study used the grounded meta-synthesis method, which relies on induction, to arrive at a new model according to the objective of the study. The process of open, axial, and selective coding included 101 studies, books, reports, and guides, starting with the Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann, issued in 1922, and ending with the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer. The results led to the proposal of a new model to reduce communication dysfunction, in which media and information literacy (MIL) plays a crucial role in increasing an individual's ability to resist disinformation and enhancing their ability to monitor the performance of institutions, as well as expanding the circle of influencers in social media. To fulfil the three goals and contribute to achieving a degree of functional balance in communication within societies, the model recommends enhancing MIL. Other intervening variables, such as the fragility of political, cultural, and legal structures, should not be disregarded.

Media and information literacy (MIL) is gaining academic attention due to media technology advancements and evolving communication, with pre-service teachers (PTs) playing a crucial role in preparing future citizens. This systematic review examined 40 articles focusing on PTs to identify their theoretical characteristics and methodological patterns. The methodology follows the PRISMA statement and covers research from 2013 to 2024. All of these selected papers are evaluated using a quality assessment tool, Quality Assessment Tool for papers with Diverse Designs (QATSDD). The review identifies a regional concentration of PTs’ MIL research in Europe and Asia. This demonstrates how regional settings and national policies have a significant impact on MIL research, as do differences in terminology usage and conceptual understanding. However, aspects of PTs’ MIL that support teaching practices remain underexplored in the existing literature, indicating a critical gap in preparing PTs for their roles as educators. Concerns regarding the credibility of results are further raised by the extensive use of self-reported assessments. Furthermore, because they have a big impact on PTs' MIL abilities, demographic factors including gender and regional discrepancies need constant monitoring. The findings highlight the need to integrate MIL into teacher education to enhance teaching competencies and address regional and demographic disparities, ensuring preservice teachers are equipped for modern educational demands.

Social media has become an indispensable tool for communication and political campaigns, significantly shaping the dynamics of political discourse in contemporary society. Its relevance is underscored by the intensification of political debates on the international stage, particularly in relation to wars and armed conflicts. The war in Ukraine exemplifies how social media has also become an informational battlefield where political communication plays a decisive role. With society becoming increasingly reliant on the internet, studying the strategies and outcomes of political social media use is crucial to understanding its impact on public opinion, voter behavior, and electoral processes. This study applies the constructivist research paradigm and employs qualitative content analysis to examine the influence of the internet, and social media in particular, on political and social discourse. It analyzes electoral marketing practices and the use of digital platforms in political campaigns, with the goal of identifying significant methods, assessing their effectiveness, and uncovering the essential components of political social media engagement. Additionally, the research investigates the construction of political leaders’ personalities online and addresses the difficulties and challenges associated with social media use in political campaigns, while outlining potential future directions. The methodological approach involves reviewing relevant literature to identify theories and concepts on social media and politics, as well as case studies that demonstrate actual practices of digital campaigning. The results indicate that as digital platforms continue to advance, they will exert even greater influence on politics, underscoring the importance of responsible and ethical participation by politicians, voters, and regulators.

Traditional approaches to the use of computers in education have given insufficient attention to the impact of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) on the classroom. Any implementation of ICT in schools requires a level of change in practice. This article examines three such levels: where existing practice is made more efficient or effective, where it is extended in some new way, and where it is transformed. A model of pedagogy is outlined and then used to examine these three levels and their implications. The analysis suggests that a more sophisticated idea of change is needed if ICT is to have a significant impact on classroom practices.

This paper examines changing models of pedagogy by drawing on recent research with teachers and their students as well as theoretical developments. In relation to a participatory view of learning, the paper reviews existing pedagogical models that take little account of the use of information and communications technologies, as well as those focused more specifically on technology-rich learning environments. A possible framework for understanding pedagogy is beginning to emerge, which can be applied to both face-to-face and online learning. This framework combines individual and group regulation of learning, where pedagogical reasoning is transparent and shared between students, teachers, and others involved in students’ learning. The framework also needs to integrate purposeful elements and the sharing of roles characteristic of formative assessment in pedagogy, as well as a learning culture that enables supportive interaction.

This paper presents an analysis of ways in which pedagogy with information and communications technologies (ICTs) may need to adapt to accommodate to a major shift in our conceptions of knowledge and learning. A holistic approach to this analysis based on Checkland’s “systems thinking” suggested changes in pedagogy needed for 21st century learning and suggested ways of managing the complexity in order to support teachers in developing their pedagogical practices. The examination of how learning is conceptualised while learners are in contact with vast arrays of knowledge through Internet access and how this understanding can be reconciled with current views of knowledge acquisition in formal education suggests a need for rebalancing in most phases of education between individual work and group participation. Furthermore, opportunities need to be increased for learners to develop expertise in their chosen domains and to make links between their formal and informal learning. Examination of scenarios in which people learn through peer interaction rather than any formal teaching suggests a need to recognise and not underestimate young people’s capabilities. The paper proposes incorporating opportunities for students to engage with self-organizing social systems into pedagogy. This would complement an emphasis on develosping and understanding both individual and shared expertise.

This study examines the role of social media in providing political education and reducing electoral fraud during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election. Using a survey of 100 participants, the research found that platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook were major sources of information about electoral fraud. Results show that social media helped increase voter awareness and discourage electoral malpractice. However, challenges such as internet inaccessibility, misinformation, and distrust of online content limited its effectiveness. The study concludes that social media can support electoral integrity, but its impact depends on better digital literacy, reliable information, and improved access to digital platforms.

This article reviews research on pedagogies associated with the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in primary and secondary schools. We propose a framework for examining pedagogical practices based on an analysis of the nature of pedagogy as revealed in the literature. In light of this framework, we discuss empirical evidence of the use of different types of ICT in various subjects and phases of education. We identify pedagogical issues associated with ICT use and their implications for teachers’ pedagogical reasoning and practices. The evidence suggests that new affordances provided by ICT-based learning environments require teachers to undertake more complex pedagogical reasoning than before, incorporating knowledge of specific affordances and how these relate to subject-based teaching objectives, alongside the knowledge traditionally needed to plan for students’ learning. In addition, the research shows that teachers’ beliefs about the value of ICT for learning and the nature of successful learning environments are important factors in their pedagogical reasoning.

We have proposed to present a theoretical and practical approach to effective communication in teaching, with the objective of knowing the opinions of teachers on communication skills and the motivation of their students in the classroom. It is a descriptive case research aimed at identifying teachers’ perspectives on communication skills and student motivation. The study included a total of 245 people from four universities in Romania. The results obtained by analyzing the responses of the subjects in our sample showed that groups of teachers share similar opinions regarding communication competencies. The research findings align with recent studies, confirming that without communication, the teaching and learning process cannot take place. Therefore, teachers with good communication skills create a more successful teaching and learning environment for students. On the other hand, individuals with strong communication skills have the potential to influence others, and effective communication strategies lead to success. Communication skills and work motivation have a significant influence on teaching. The teacher’s communication style can shape the interest and attitude of students, fostering a fun and engaging learning atmosphere.

This study examined the role of digital technology in political campaigns in Nigeria’s 2023 general elections. Although political campaigns are critical in elections in the country but the role played by digital technology in the 2023 general elections remains a subject of concern. The study was anchored on the Technological Determinism Theory and descriptive research design. Data collection was through documentary method while content analysis mechanism was employed for data analysis. The study found out that digital technologies such as social media tremendously impact political campaigns in Nigeria. It also found out that Nigeria, with her complicated political environment, has potential with digital tool to reach far-flung audience even though concerns regarding the spread of misinformation and such challenges remain. The study therefore recommended the need to bridge the digital divide through media literacy and education for informed participation. It equally recommended the need for responsible data practices in addressing misinformation and harnessing technology's potential for positive political outcome.