Educators Inquiry Meetup: Media and Information Literacy in a Global Context

Inquiry question: How do you teach media and information literacy in the post-truth era?

Description: Social media technologies have vastly accelerated the speed of globalization by connecting people, places, and issues around the world in real time. However, like any new tool, these new media services are not without their pitfalls. Beyond spreading funny cat videos, increasing awareness of social issues, or garnering support (or “likes”) for certain causes, the darker sides of social media are often buried in the proprietary algorithms on which these platforms run. The recommendation and optimization algorithms tend to promote content that triggers emotional responses like anger, over content that is accurate or true. The rise of an emotionally charged and potentially misinformed public creates unique challenges for educators who teach media and information literacy, especially in countries where mis- and disinformation have taken center stage in political campaigns. In this GEN Meetup, Stanford GEN member and Fulbright Scholar Chesa Caparas will share some insights from her research on teaching media and information literacy (MIL) in the Philippines.

Chesa Caparas (she/they) is faculty in English and Asian American Studies at De Anza College. She is also adjunct faculty at Far Eastern University in Manila. She was a Fulbright scholar to the Philippines, where she conducted research about faculty perspectives on teaching Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in a climate of mis/disinformation.