In the first installment of the State of the Media and Information Literacy in the Philippines series, discover how Media and Information Literacy (MIL) empowers citizens in a democracy, combating misinformation and fostering active participation in democratic processes.
Media and Information Literacy strengthens Democracy
Democracy relies on an informed and engaged citizenry. This makes or breaks a nation due to the policy choices of the said citizens. Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is crucial among voters. MIL is a skill that teaches individuals to filter out the vast information landscape. Such skill sets include the ability to discern facts from fiction, and the ability to make informed decisions that impact their lives and communities.
Unfortunately, the modern digital society has enabled bad actors to spread misinformation that causes a rift among people. It is understood that a minority of people want to benefit from policy choices that might harm most people. This makes MIL more essential in shaping responsible citizens, protecting them from bad actors, and ensuring the integrity of democratic processes.
What is Media and Information Literacy (MIL)?
This encompasses the knowledge and skills needed to access, evaluate, and create information and media content effectively. It ensures that individuals make informed decisions, engage in critical thinking, and participate actively in society and democracy.
Why is MIL Important in a Democracy?
In democratic societies, citizens need to make decisions based on accurate information. Without this skill, people are vulnerable to misinformation. In effect, the actions caused by misinformation can distort democratic processes and erode public trust. Misinformation campaigns can lead to harmful outcomes, such as skewed elections and social divisions. For example, the United Kingdom had some remorse when the country left the European Union through Brexit. In the United States, people are more divided due to the polarization of their political climate.
These harmful effects are what MIL tries to prevent. So, to ensure that people are safe from harm due to the minimization of inaccurate information, MIL must be a bedrock of every decision-making process in our society.
How do we minimize misinformation? It is through determining that our information could be misleading and hold the government and businesses accountable for a more media and information-literate society.
The Challenges of Misinformation Across Democracies
The digital age has transformed how information is disseminated. Now, more people, especially the younger generations, consume information through social media than traditional news sources. Sadly, these pieces of information are sometimes not fact-checked.
Most of the time, they are not even held accountable for spreading false information.
As a result, the spread of misinformation increased rapidly posing significant threats to democracy. MIL aids individuals to critically evaluate pieces of information and to recognize media biases. As a result, this could lead to more balanced and informed opinions.
How MIL Fosters an Informed Citizenry?
The core of MIL is to develop critical thinking skills. This enables individuals to question the reliability of information and reduces the impact of misinformation.
MIL also helps people to recognize media biases. This helps people to question their own beliefs and hold media companies accountable to demand better and more accurate information.
Furthermore, this skill strengthens the democratic process because informed citizens are more likely to engage in discussions, vote responsibly, and advocate for transparency in governance.
The Impact of Misinformation in the Digital Age
Misinformation is the false or misleading pieces of information spread to other people. This can negatively skew public opinion and decision-making. For example, fake news and manipulated images can influence electoral outcomes to vote for a propaganda-reliant party. Furthermore, it can fuel social divisions because people cannot agree on facts. Moreover, undermines the trust in institutions. Lastly, it can incite violence and disrupt public order in extreme cases.
Preventing Misinformation Through MIL
The promotion of Media and Information Literacy is key to combat misinformation. It starts with educational institutions. They should develop critical thinking skills in their curricula to develop the ability of students to discern facts from fiction and acknowledge biases from the content they consume. Meanwhile, social media companies should be regulated. To accommodate MIL in their platforms for the benefit of their users, these companies should promote transparency, provide tools for users to report misinformation, and limit the spread of false content.
MIL as a Tool for Combating Misinformation
With the help of MIL, it equips individuals to identify credible sources, fact-check information, and share content responsibly. By fostering skepticism and critical thinking, this helps reduce the spread of misinformation which promotes a more informed and engaged citizenry.
Conclusion
In a digital world where misinformation proliferates, Media and Information Literacy is an indispensable tool to strengthen democracy. It empowers citizens to make informed decisions, hold leaders accountable, and participate actively in civic life. Prioritizing MIL initiatives is essential to allow a resilient democracy that can withstand the challenges of the digital age.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
