Media Literacy as teens in the digital revolution
On the information “crisis”
We live in a time where youth are much more likely to learn about breaking news from social media rather than the evening news or a newspaper.
Oftentimes, young adults are looked down upon for that… and it’s okay to feel like that’s unfair!
One of the core differences between journalism and content creators on Instagram is the relational element, an important function, according to Rachel Lobdell, the executive director of News Creator Corps, a “movement to ensure everyone has access to accurate and trustworthy information.” Lobdell pointed to the inherent biases and constraints that mainstream journalists often possess, including the need to answer to editors with powerful interests. “So many communities have been harmed by mainstream media,” she explained.
Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, further posited that the corporate model that has been funding and controlling journalism needs to change... particularly in the age of social media.
Content creators put their audience needs and interests first, while journalists are often trained to maintain an air of neutrality and professionalism, setting a strict boundary between them and the public.
People are now craving that element of connection that they get from content creators from journalists too. The Reuters Institute of Journalism’s Digital news report has found that creators are watched on social media far more than mainstream news brands like the NYT.
Lobdell mourned this loss of connection for journalism, that even though the shift to journalistic neutrality was well-intentioned, readers and citizens lost the “sense-making.” This sense-making, as she called it, is the piece that ties it all together for us in our everyday life. How does this affect me, my community, and the things I’m passionate about?
So, it’s okay to get your news from more personal media like TikTok or Instagram. It just matters HOW you get it:
Be skeptical
Do not take anything at face value until you’ve confirmed it with multiple sources
Follow credible news sources in addition to the content creators whose opinions you want to see.
Find out what your local news station is- do they have a social media presence?
Be aware of your own biases and media vacuums you fall victim to; you oftentimes only see content that you already agree with
To combat this, follow Ground News, a platform that compares all news sources for you, so you can see your blind spots, understand media bias, and “break free from algorithms”
Getting people's opinions or humor-based content commenting on real-world events are good ways to inform your own opinion, but remember that their opinion is not FACT.
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