Books & Audiobooks
Written by: Christine V.W.
I’m in the middle of my YouTube workout when the screen cuts to a commercial. I grab some water, waiting until I can press that “Skip” button, and half listen as Mark Carney comes on the screen to tell me how he understands Canadians are struggling. Then he asks me to click on the link to apply to the government program and get relief.
I click the “Report” button.
The next page asks me why I’m reporting this ad and I have to stop and think. The AI generated deepfake was pretty flawless, actually. I wasn’t tipped off by excessive blinking, nor do I have some fancy analyzer to run videos through to detect AI – if such a thing even exists. In the end I realize my suspicions were raised more by what was not said. The on-screen Carney never mentions which government program or initiative this “relief” fund relates to. I can’t look it up on a reliable government website to verify the information, because the name of the program is missing. There’s other key information missing too, such as who should apply, in what timeframe, and alternative and accessible application options. The message boils down to “The Canadian government is giving away some money, to people, but you can only apply through this YouTube Ad.” Stripped down of it’s fancy cover, the message is all kinds of suspicious.
This is the heart of media literacy: the ability to strip away the fancy effects, the emotional manipulation, and the screaming call to urgency, to evaluate the message that lies underneath.
Media Literacy Week in Canada is October 27-31st, and it’s a good reminder to all of us, including myself, to brush up on our knowledge and skills in this area. You might also hear them called “digital literacy skills” or sometimes just plain old “critical thinking skills.” One website I visited even calls it “critical digital media literacy,” just to cover all the bases. Regardless, these skills are increasingly important in the world we live in today and will become even more so in the future.
According to an October 2nd article in the New York Times, Americans now think polarization in politics is a bigger problem than immigration, crime, or healthcare. (Note: you can access this article for free through our Online Resources! Once you log in to the New York Times resource, search the headline “Most Voters Think America’s Divisions Cannot Be Overcome, Poll Says.”) Digital media have played a big role in forming this polarized divide. Algorithms on YouTube, Meta and more send us uninterrupted streams of what we like, including what we like politically. They also offer cheap and easy platforms for fraudsters and those interested in political interference and radicalization. Strong media literacy skills allow us to keep our democracy, our bank accounts, and ourselves in a much better state.
Another reason to advocate for media literacy is that it will become an increasingly important and marketable job skill. As artificial Intelligence (AI) gets more capable, we can assign it more tasks such as “write this e-mail,” “make this a PowerPoint presentation” or “turn this into a video.” Our job as a human then becomes that of the critical evaluator. We must ask “What is the message of this AI output?” and “Is this the message I wanted to send?” If the output states facts, or research, or contains things like book titles, we must be able to verify that they are real. In the future, individuals with these skills will be more valuable and effective at their jobs than those without.
If I’ve done my job here, I’ve been able to get across the message that media literacy skills are very important. If I’ve sold you on that message, and you want to learn more, check out the MediaSmarts.ca website. Specifically, individuals can check out this page on Digital Citizenship. Parents, guardians and caregivers may want to start here. And teachers can get a lot of resources here and here.
If you’re looking for a good book resource, I recently read Julie Bogart’s book Raising Critical Thinkers. The initial chapter on critical thinking is very good for everyone, and following chapters can be skimmed – not because they aren’t good, but because they describe activities for families in detail that will be very interesting for some, and less so for others.
For further information, check in with WPL staff and we will happily set you up with a list of reliable resources. It’s what we do, after all!
Christine is a Library Assistant at the John M. Harper Branch, who specializes in emerging technologies.