Promoting Political Literacy Among Youth in the Sultanate of Oman

Author(s):  
Mohammed Nasser Al-Suqri ◽  
Salim Said AlKindi ◽  
Abdullah Khamis Al-Kindi

In Oman, as in other countries around the world, young people traditionally have low levels of interest in politics. However, young people have high levels of social media usage, and there is evidence from the literature that new forms of political engagement are emerging through the use of sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To help ensure that social media can be used effectively to engage citizens in government decision-making process, there is a need to provide young people and other citizens with digital literacy skills. This is especially important in Oman and other Middle Eastern Arab states, where there are currently high levels of youth unemployment, to avoid the type of unrest which occurred in the form of the Arab Spring and instead promote more constructive forms of citizen engagement. The chapter reports on a review of literature which examines these issues in the context of Oman, identifies examples of best practice digital literacy initiatives from other countries, and develops a series of recommendations for Oman.

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 30-39
Author(s):  
Mohammed Nasser Al-Suqri ◽  
Salim Said AlKindi ◽  
Abdullah Khamis Al-Kindi

This paper presents the findings of a review of literature to understand the issues facing the Sultanate of Oman in this area, and to identify international examples of best practice in the use of social media to promote political literacy among young people. Evidence-based recommendations for the Government of the Sultanate of Oman are developed, which include the provision of social media literacy training at school and university level, as well as the establishment of an online citizen engagement portal. By adopting international best practice in the use of social media to promote political literacy and citizen engagement among young people, it is believed that the Sultanate of Oman can provide a model for other Middle Eastern Arab states, helping to reduce the potential for political conflict in these countries and promoting participatory approaches to policy-making which reflect the growing demands of young citizens.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hana Silvana ◽  
Cecep Darmawan

AbstrakFenomena pengunaan media sosial sebagai media online semakin massive pada dekade ini. Kalangan muda sebagai generasi milenial atau digital native merupakan pengguna terbesar dalam penggunaan media sosial saat ini. Penelitian mengenai literasi digital masih jarang dilakukan terutama di Indonesia. Subyek penelitian ini adalah kalangan usia muda dengan rentang usia 17–21 tahun yang merupakan pengguna aktif media sosial. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode studi kasus. Informan yang dijadikan sampel penelitian sebanyak 5 orang dan 1 orang informan kunci dari pakar literasi media. Temuan yang diperoleh pada penelitian ini menunjukan pentingnya program literasi digital yang memberikan dampak positif bagi pengetahuan, pemahaman dan keterampilan dalam menggunakan media terutama media sosial yang saat ini sering dijadikan sumber informasi oleh khalayak terutama oleh kalangan yang berusia muda. Program ini memberikan kontribusi yang signifikan pada penyebaran informasi dalam menggunakan media massa terutama media sosial yang digunakan oleh kalangan usia muda sehingga ada kesadaran dalam menggunakan media. Pada pendidikan pelatihan (diklat) ini peserta belum semua mempunyai keahlian ini dikarenakan keahlian ini memerlukan latihan yang terus menerus dan konsisten sehingga mereka dapat melakukannya dengan baik. Oleh karena itu pendidikan literasi digital merupakan solusi yang dapat dilakukan oleh pemerintah dan elemen masyarakat dan civitas akademika yang peduli terhadap kemajuan bangsa. AbstractThe phenomenon of the use of social media as an online media is increasingly massive in the use of this decade. Young people as the native millennial or digital generation are the biggest users in the use of social media today. Research on digital literacy is still rare, especially in Indonesia. The subjects of this study were young people aged 17-21 years that were active users of social media. This study uses a qualitative approach to the case study method. The informants who were used as research samples were 5 people and 1 key informant from media literacy experts. The findings obtained in this study indicate the importance of digital literacy programs that have a positive impact on knowledge, understanding and skills in using the media, especially social media which is now often used as a source of information by audiences, especially among young people. information on using mass media, especially social media used by young people so that there is awareness in using the media. In this education participants do not all have this expertise because this skill requires continuous and consistent training so that they can do it well. Therefore digital literacy education is a solution that can be done by the government and elements of society and academics who care about the progress of the nation.


Author(s):  
Luis Pereira

Based on the assumption digital literacy needs a practical approach and actions, this chapter presents an initiative that intends to develop digital skills in a very creative way. Considering the challenge educators (for instance, teachers or librarians) face to promote digital literacy skills especially to young people in a very engaging way, some training was developed to create a possible answer to that problem. This chapter discusses the impact of that initiative that highlights the potential of humour and parody that we can find on digital media to teach digital literacy. According to some attendants, this approach was creative, engaging and built in their minds alternative paths to explore digital literacy and critical thinking.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (Special) ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
Thi Yen Minh Tran ◽  
Thi Huong Pham

The 21st century is acknowledged as the age of information. Thanks to the development of science and technology, the audience become more active in absorbing and distributing information. However, the massive information on the Internet in general, and social networks in particular, is sometimes unreliable, inaccurate and untrustworthy, which can mislead the Internet users. By generalising the Internetand social media usage of Vietnameseaudience, the article provides a fundamental understanding ofinformation categorisation. By that, itsuggests several techniques todevelopcritical thinking and news literacy skills for audience tobecome a critical reader in the age of digital media.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haikal Haikal

Hoax news or information relating to Covid-19 affects the obstruction of efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. This research is a descriptive study because it provides an overview or description of students' perceptions in news related to the covid-19 hoax. The results that obtained information from this study were 208 respondents or 54% of the total respondents considered hoaxes as information with no known truth, 168 respondents or 44% revealed that hoaxes related to Covid-19 were most often found or said to be hoaxes as a global elite conspiracy, 223 respondents or 58% of the total respondents received hoaxes related to Covid-19 through writing and pictures, 162 respondents or 42% of the total respondents considered that steps that could be taken to overcome the spread of hoaxes related to Covid-19 were cross-checking or clarifying first , 317 respondents or 83% thought that each party was responsible for overcoming the spread of hoaxes related to Covid-19 and 150 respondents or 39% of the total analysis that information on social media had a negative influence. The conclusion in this study is that health hoaxes can not only cause disputes like political hoaxes, but can also cause the loss of a person's life. Digital literacy skills will be able to provide hoax. Critical and analytical thinking is also an asset to prevent the spread of covid-19 related to hoaxes 


2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (02) ◽  
pp. 265-269
Author(s):  
Paul Musgrave

AbstractMany observers have argued that social media such as Facebook and Twitter will help opposition activists coordinate and overcome authoritarian regimes; others believe that such tools will have little impact. Evidence from the “Arab Spring” is inconclusive, with advocates for each position finding support in the events in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere. When does social media help political movements succeed? Motivated by an experience serving as a “campaign manager” for a colleague's bid to become theWashington Post's “Next Great Pundit,” I argue that relying on Internet-based social networking tools (such as Facebook and Twitter) may lead campaigns to perform more poorly when the regime is able to change the election's rules in mid-campaign. Consequently, researchers observing only the messages broadcast by social media will miss the true coordination taking place, which happens through channels unobservable to the regime. Examples from Middle Eastern politics suggest that real-world political activists recognize these distinctions and adjust their messaging accordingly.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 56-70
Author(s):  
Shahid Muhammad ◽  
Barbara Sen

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in young people is complex, with many requiring Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT). Young people may be disenfranchised by perceptions of helplessness and feelings of powerlessness against a backdrop of diminished health, consequently impacting on their capacity for effective coping. Not surprisingly, young people and parents/ guardians seek online support through social media which offers advantages over standard forms of engagement/ education. The claim here is that future clinicians are unable to best practice unless they get more involved in patient-led initiatives and better appreciate how young people with CKD and their parents use the internet/ social media as an effective learning resource. Social media can positively influence young people, parents/ guardians to gather resources, supporting them to develop self-care and enhance shared-decision-making, empowering them to adopt coping strategies. Health professionals should have an understanding of what resources are available to young people and parents/ guardians.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alp Eren Yuce ◽  
Ahmet Albayrak ◽  
Bahar Baran ◽  
Özgür Kalafat

PurposeThis study aims to understand the eHealth literacy skills of chronic patients and to explore the relations, patterns between eHealth literacy skills and different factors such as demographics, search strategies and health information sources and to explain their effects on eHealth literacy in Turkey in Izmir in COVID-19 outbreak.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative method was used in the study including a questionnaire. A total of 604 chronic patients responded to the questionnaire who applied the five popularly identified hospitals in Izmir in Turkey. CHAID analysis method was implemented to explore the strongest correlation between eHealth literacy and independent variables.FindingsUsing different social media types were correlated with patients’ eHealth literacy scores. Using Facebook, Twitter were the supportive predictors for the eHealth literacy scores. However, digital literacy was highly important for eHealth literacy.Originality/valueThis study shows that the social media channels which provides much more information such as Facebook and Twitter for the chronic patient. This could be beneficial for the eHealth tools and social media content developers in terms of the supply of health information. Moreover, the study gives ideas about the effect of digital literacy and the importance of health information provided.


Author(s):  
Jennifer Earl ◽  
Sam Scovill ◽  
Elliot Ramo

The authors examine the debate over youth engagement as it has developed since 1990, especially the role of digital and social media. Despite panics over youth disengagement and the pervasiveness of the youth deficit model, contemporary research largely finds that young people are politically engaged, that new media facilitate youth engagement, and that new media usage tends to reduce inequalities between youth in political engagement. Beyond these general findings, the authors also examine how youth use digital and social media in the development of political knowledge and interest and when participating in campaigns and elections, social movements and protest, political consumption (e.g., boycotts and buycotts), and participatory politics (i.e., traditional and new forms of engagement such as making cultural interventions and circulating information and opinions). For each form of engagement, the authors also assess the role of digital and social media usage in making engagement more inclusive and equitable. The authors close by introducing evidence-based resources that young people have access to online to aid their engagement and thoughts about future research.


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