Tips for being careful media literature
Assoc. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal made evaluations and recommendations regarding the spread of social media channels and media literacy that should be acquired against the emerging information pollution.
Stating that social media has become an integral part of daily life as a tool that enables the transformation of today’s communication habits, Assoc. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal said, “With its new features added every day, it is the subject of usage in changing styles in social media, which attracts the attention of everyone from seven to seventy. In addition to information exchange, news follow-up, educational use, creating and sharing fun photos or images with many features provided by smart phones, announcing the developments in people’s lives, events in written, visual and emoji, business use, playing games, entertainment usage with targets and dozens of other features are in the middle of the possibilities offered by social media.” he said.
The concept of media literacy has emerged with different variations
Ünal said that huge amounts of data are stored in social media and information transmission takes place at an unbearable speed every second and continued his words as follows: :
“In the information flow circulating in global dimensions, the sharing of individuals on various issues is circulating. Events and situations seen are instantly reflected on social media channels. The reflections on the subject of speech are formed according to the perceptions of the individuals shaped by their past experiences. In other words, the meaning that a person gives to a subject and the expression in this direction may not be the same as the perception of another person. On the other hand, when prejudices come into play, people can describe an event in various variations in the forms they want. These narratives reveal various information about a subject, and this is reflected in the shares on social media. When considering what to do in such cases, media literacy comes into play. The concept of media literacy later appeared in various variations. It can be said that the variations of new media literacy, social media literacy, digital literacy, and digital health literacy are actually based on reasonable core skills. However, when expanded for different purposes, we can say that different concepts refer to dexterity for more specific needs.”
Noting that health journalism has gained importance especially with the Covid-19 pandemic, Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal said, “The fact that everyone shares different information on epidemic and vaccine issues on digital platforms has brought digital health literacy to the agenda. In addition to the information given by official institutions, organizations and persons authorized to make a statement, the sharing of citizens’ ideas by combining them with their own perceptions and the dissemination by being liked and re-shared by other users caused the circulation of different information. This is where confusion arose. At this point, again, digital health literacy skills tell us how real health-specific information will be provided and what needs to be done.” he said.
Media literacy skills require attention
Emphasizing that many skills can be gained with media literacy, from the accuracy of the information circulating in new media environments such as social media to how to share it. “The highly functional core tricks mentioned require only a little attention. If these skills are applied not only in health-specific information sharing, but also in sharing on all online platforms such as social media, conscious use can be contributed.” he said.
Assoc. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal listed her media literacy skills as follows:
Verifying information from various sources: When we come across information, we can verify this information from different channels. For example, it can be confirmed whether there is another post about that issue in the social media, and if a search is made in the browser, whether there is information about that bet.
Not sharing information without verifying: We may come across a sharing that is exactly our intention, but if this sharing includes other institutions, organizations or individuals, it should not be shared without confirming whether it is true or not. As in the recent distorted news, we should not contribute to the dissemination of news that will put individuals in distress, with the features of ‘like’, ‘re-share’, ‘comment’ unless they are verified by those persons.
Protection from fake accounts: Disinformation spread from accounts called fake accounts or troll accounts can be perceived as real. We must continue on our way, especially without considering these calculations. In order to understand these accounts, there are a few clues such as the new opening date, missing letters in the account name, excess letters, excessive numbers, anonymous profile photos, and not having an account on another social media channel. These accounts can be removed from the follow list.
Following official institutions, organizations and individuals: Accounts of official institutions, organizations and authorized persons can be followed so that many information can be confirmed through official channels.
Adjusting our reaction to distorted news: Distorted news is made consciously in social media. This encourages individuals to lynch individuals and institutions. In these cases, it is valuable to wait for an explanation from the persons who constitute the purpose of the sharing and to remain calm. It should be kept in mind that one-to-one situations can be encountered here by using the skill.
Knowing the emotional diffusion: Just like in real social environments, individuals can affect each other’s emotional state through their sharing in social media. As a result of scientific experiments and researches, it is known that the shares have a strong effect on feelings up to three degrees: ‘friend’, ‘friend of a friend’ and ‘his friend’. Considering the global spread, it is a valuable skill in terms of awareness that the sharing that has a negative feeling is not reflected in the shares, knowing that it will spread to large masses with emotional contagion.
Complying with ethical rules: Taking or sharing images of people without permission, especially in the use of entertainment and humor, may damage the social position of the person as it will reveal their identity information. Referring to and spreading the blasphemous news will also expose each other to negative personal and social effects. Within the framework of ethical rules, using social media without harming individuals should be known as a civic duty.