media and information literacy

Digitalization and the emergence of the Internet have resulted in escalating access to information and communication. Given the circumstances that soaring access to information amounts to the intensification of misinformation and disinformation, a set of critical skills to navigate and critically assess the information is necessary. This paper outlines the significance of these skills, and provides a perspective on metaliteracy as a supplement to media and information literacy, and argues that the ability to conceptualize, access, comprehend, analyze, and use information is crucial in achieving inclusive, pluralistic, and participatory knowledge societies.

SynopsisWe are living in a media-saturated world. Not only we receive information, we have become prosumers and are able to communicate with the ‘world.’ This has been widely reflected in the academic texts. But is there a dark side to this ‘age of information freedom?’ My argument in this paper is that although we have gotten rid of one sort of tyranny and can more freely speak up, a more suppressive and widespread process of control and surveillance is underway. Worse than that, we the users seem to be comfort with that.

This paper presents the results of a survey aimed at students aged between 10 and 18 from three schools in the South of Portugal. The purpose of the survey was to gather information about their perspectives regarding online hate speech (OHS). The study, whose central objective is to understand the intricate dynamics of online video games and social gaming platforms, is part of a project entitled "PROPS: Interactive Narratives Propose a Pluralistic Speech". From the data collected, the project envisages the creation of a set of interactive media designed to counteract main OHS discourses. By developing a thoughtful approach to the emergent issue of OHS, the aim is to promote media literacy in young players, thus cultivating a gaming environment that is both inclusive and safe.