Article published by European Digital Media Observatory
Media literacy is undoubtedly an essential tool in the fight against disinformation. A critically and digitally literate public is much more likely to be able to evaluate the information they encounter online, identify sources they can trust, and make informed decisions as citizens, consumers, and more. Being media literate opens up opportunities to engage more fully and creatively with the world of online and offline media.
Media literacy is essential for adults and children. It is not something you learn once and then you are done. It is about both practical skills and knowledge and awareness of the digital environment and how it works. In this sense, it is a lifelong process as the digital and media environments are constantly evolving.
It is certainly not the only solution to the problem of disinformation and should not be seen as a silver bullet that makes regulations and other initiatives unnecessary. As the professor has often argued, Sonia Livingstone, media literacy tends to be seen by policymakers as an easy win, but in fact it is incredibly complicated. There is so much about the online world that is unreadable and constantly changing, and it is essential to avoid burdening citizens with the responsibility of understanding the incomprehensible.
That said, media literacy is an essential partner of regulation in improving the public’s ability to navigate the online environment. Many regulations will be less effective without an accompanying level of education and awareness, and there is clear scope to expand this. A survey of Ipsos Mori of March 2021 found that only 9% of Europeans (from 11 countries) have participated in training on how to use online tools to distinguish between real and fake information, but 58% are interested in doing so. Two-thirds of respondents believed that it would be appropriate for a technology company to provide training to users to improve their ability to critically understand information online.
The value of media literacy in addressing disinformation should not be seen in isolation. While many of the concerns about online disinformation have emerged in recent years, the work of media literacy has been ongoing for decades and has a broader role to play in citizenship.
There is a tendency to see media literacy as a solution to a specific problem such as disinformation (or online safety, digital inclusion, hate speech, radicalization, etc.), but this can be problematic as it narrows the focus and leads to short-term thinking, when what is needed is long-term planning and funding, ideally with a timeframe of a decade or more.
Increasing overall levels of media literacy will increase public resilience to online disinformation, even if this is not the direct objective of an intervention.