The trending topics in recent weeks put disinformation front and centre, especially in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Detangling the online disinformation about the conflict in Gaza has been a very topical challenge with The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute sharing seven insights on tackling mis- and disinformation for UN peace operations. Our recent blogpost highlights the SIFT method, to be used when interacting with social media.
Is Meta doing enough to protect WhatsApp users against misinformation? With reports being shared of AI being used to alter images and video that have subsequently been shared on social media, it is getting harder and harder to spot disinformation across social networks. This article on how social media monetisation fuels fake news is an interesting look at the challenge users face.
With social media being an everyday part of many people’s lives, how can you think critically and use it more effectively?
Critical thinking remains the simplest and most effective method for combatting this. This is a view shared by Dr. Joseph Zompetti, professor in the School of Communication at Illinois State University, who argues that digital literacy resides at the intersection of misinformation and disinformation and can be crucial to a democratic society.
Psychologists at the University of Cambridge have developed the first validated “misinformation susceptibility test – the MIST – with early results showing that ‘very online’ Gen Z and millennials are most vulnerable to fake news.
Research by YouGov indicates that people who use social media as a news source do not perform as well on the Misinformation Susceptibility Test (MIST). People who spend two hours or less of recreational time online each day are twice as likely to be in the highest-scoring category (30% vs. 15%) as people who spend 9 or more hours online per day. See the impact of social media on critical thinking here.
Developing Rules for Positive Behaviour in Primary Schools, authored by John Snell, Open Minds Education Expert, & UK Head Teacher, and Education Specialist, focuses on how to successfully establish rules for positive behaviour. By involving children in the decision-making process, it provides an opportunity to make connections between the rule and the consequence and get greater ‘buy in’ from pupils.
The Importance of School Values highlights the challenges of a ‘school plus’ approach but also the positive outcomes when core values are applied within schools.
Critical thinking is an ever-evolving discipline and inversion is a style of thinking that can help to generate fresh perspectives. Debate is another key skill that can help develop your critical thinking skillset.
Combatting coercive control through better thinking techniques is another interesting read, filled with useful guidance.
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