Critical media literacy to improve students' competencies

Media literacy training is an urgent need of our time. Educational institutions must stand as fundamental domains to collectively address reflection on digital and media environments and prepare school-age citizens to constructively deal with the impact of the media. To do so, a paradigm shift to approach the issue is required: a critical awareness of the new scenarios created by the media and a broad reflection on their characteristics. A new framework where the spotlight is on the media, the surrounding environment is an essential reference point and training proposals are based on results and evidence. This study is part of a Design-Based Research, aimed at the creation, implementation and evaluation of a Critical Media Literacy program for high school students at the Escuela Normal Superior del Putumayo (Colombia). In this paper we present the results obtained by applying the Alfamed media competence "pre" and "post" questionnaire to the students participating in the program. The results obtained show a significant improvement both in the overall level of students' media competence and in four of the six dimensions that make up the theoretical reference model ("Technology", "Language", "Ideology and Values" and "Production and Dissemination"). La formación en las competencias mediáticas constituye una necesidad urgente en nuestra época. La escuela debe posicionarse como un entorno fundamental donde abordar de manera colectiva la reflexión sobre los entornos digitales y mediáticos y la preparación de los ciudadanos en edad escolar para afrontar de forma constructiva el impacto de los medios. Para ello, se impone un cambio de paradigma en el abordaje de la cuestión: una conciencia crítica ante los nuevos escenarios que crean los medios y una reflexión amplia sobre sus características. Un nuevo marco en el que lo mediático se torne central, el entorno próximo sea un referente imprescindible y las propuestas formativas se apoyen en resultados y evidencias. El trabajo que se presenta es una parte de una Investigación Basada en Diseño, orientada a la creación, implementación y evaluación de un programa de Alfabetización Mediática Crítica para el alumnado de bachillerato de la Escuela Normal Superior del Putumayo (Colombia). Se presentan los resultados obtenidos mediante la aplicación “pre” y “post” del cuestionario de competencias mediáticas Alfamed al alumnado participante en el programa. Los resultados obtenidos muestran una mejora significativa tanto en el nivel global de competencia mediática del alumnado, como en cuatro de las seis dimensiones que configuran el modelo teórico de referencia en el que se apoya el estudio (“Tecnología”, “Lenguaje”, “Ideología y Valores” y “Producción y difusión”).

Learning about the unknown Spitzenkandidaten: The role of media exposure during the 2019 European Parliament elections

The Spitzenkandidaten were meant to personalize European Parliament elections. This paper asks whether and through which channels the lead candidates were actually able to make themselves known among voters – a necessary precondition for any electoral effect. Combining panel surveys and online tracking data, the study explores candidate learning during the German 2019 European Parliament election campaign and relates learning to different types of news exposure, with a special focus on online news. The results show that learning was limited and unevenly distributed across candidates. However exposure to candidate-specific online news and most types of offline news helped to acquire knowledge. The findings imply that Spitzenkandidaten stick to voters’ minds when they get exposed to them, but that exposure is infrequent in high-choice media environments.

The Beauty of the Fragment Reconstituted in the Great Wall

Max Hattler’s short abstract animations demonstrate an awareness of the form’s historic 1920’s European Abstract Animation precedents, is informed by the structurally focused minimalism of the 60’s and re-tools pre-cinema toys. Yet his work speaks to the contemporary technological environment he occupies and experiences directly. His move to Hong Kong and his recent Serial Parallels is also a predictive probe into future media environments. Hattler’s digital architectures are designed to make sense of the technological situation of speed and information overload which Vilem Flusser marks as amnesic and Marshall McLuhan identifies as an acoustic space readable through pattern recognition. His practice makes productive use of the flexible and modular qualities of contemporary digital image-making technologies for both production and publication purposes.

Proposing a model of social media user interaction with fake news

Purpose This study aims to understand the allure and danger of fake news in social media environments and propose a theoretical model of the phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative research study used the uses and gratifications theory (UGT) approach to analyze how and why people used social media during the 2016 US presidential election. Findings The thematic analysis revealed people were gratified after using social media to connect with friends and family and to gather and share information and after using it as a vehicle of expression. Participants found a significant number of fake news stories on social media during the 2016 US presidential election. Participants tried to differentiate between fake news and real news using fact-checking websites and news sources and interacted with the social media users who posted fake news and became part of the echo chamber. Behaviors like these emerged in the analysis that could not be completely explained by UGT and required further exploration which resulted in a model that became the core of this study. Research limitations/implications This is a small-scale exploratory study with eight diverse participants, findings should not be generalized to larger populations. Time-specific self-reporting of information from social media and fake news during the 2016 US presidential election. Upgrading public policies related to social media is recommended in the study, contributing to burgeoning policy discussions and provides recommendations for both purveyors of social media and public policymakers. Practical implications Upgrade in public policies related to social media is recommended in the study and contributes to burgeoning policy discussions and provides recommendations for both purveyors of social media and public policymakers. Social implications Social media users are spending increased time on their preferred platforms. This study increases the understanding of the nature, function and transformation of virtual social media environments and their effects on real individuals, cultures and societies.What is original/of value about the paper?This exploratory study establishes the foundation on which to expand research in the area of social media use and fake news. Originality/value This exploratory study establishes the foundation to expand research in the area of social media use and fake news.

Post Post-Broadcast Democracy? News Exposure in the Age of Online Intermediaries

Online intermediaries such as social network sites or search engines are playing an increasingly central role in democracy by acting as mediators between information producers and citizens. Academic and public commentators have raised persistent concerns that algorithmic recommender systems would negatively affect the provision of political information by tailoring content to the predispositions and entertainment preferences of users. At the same time, recent research indicates that intermediaries foster exposure to news that people would not use as part of their regular media diets. This study investigates these unresolved questions by combining the web browsing histories and survey responses of more than 7,000 participants from six major democracies. The analysis shows that despite generally low levels of news use, using online intermediaries fosters exposure to nonpolitical and political news across countries and personal characteristics. The findings have implications for scholarly and public debates on the challenges that high-choice digital media environments pose to democracy

Protest Event Analysis Under Conditions of Limited Press Freedom: Comparing Data Sources

The investigation of long-term trends in contentious politics relies heavily on protest event analysis based on newspaper reports. This tends to be problematic in restricted media environments. To mitigate the effects of bias and (self-)censorship, researchers of protest in authoritarian regimes have experimented with other sources such as international media and dissident websites. However, even though classical news media are easier targets for repression, journalistic reports might still outperform other sources regarding the quality of information provided. Although these advantages and disadvantages are known in the literature, different types of sources have seldom been tested against each other in an authoritarian context. Using the example of Russia between 2007 and 2012, the present article systematically compares protest event data from English-language news agencies, dissident websites, and several local sources, first and foremost with a view to improving methodological knowledge. The analysis addresses broad trends across time and space as well as the coverage of specific regions and single protest events. It finds that although the data sources paint different pictures of protest in Russia, this divergence is systematic and can be put to productive use. The article closes with a discussion on how its findings can be applied in other contexts.

Titanium and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy: Surface Chemistry and Biological Implications

Currently, cancer is among the most challenging diseases due to its ability to continuously evolve into a more complex muldimentional system, in addition to its high capability to spread to other organs and tissues. In this context, the relevance of nanobiomaterials (NBMs) for the development of new more effective and less harmful treatments is increasing. NBMs provide the possibility of combining several functionalities on a single system, expectedly in a synergic way, to better perform the treatment and cure. However, the control of properties such as colloidal stability, circulation time, pharmacokinetics, and biodistribution, assuring the concentration in specific target tissues and organs, while keeping all desired properties, tends to be dependent on subtle changes in surface chemistry. Hence, the behavior of such materials in different media/environments is of uttermost relevance and concern since it can compromise their efficiency and safety on application. Given the bright perspectives, many efforts have been focused on the development of nanomaterials fulfilling the requirements for real application. These include robust and reproducible preparation methods to avoid aggregation while preserving the interaction properties. The possible impact of nanomaterials in different forms of diagnosis and therapy has been demonstrated in the past few years, given the perspectives on how revolutionary they can be in medicine and health. Considering the high biocompatibility and suitability, this review is focused on titanium dioxide– and iron oxide–based nanoagents highlighting the current trends and main advancements in the research for cancer therapies. The effects of phenomena, such as aggregation and agglomeration, the formation of the corona layer, and how they can compromise relevant properties of nanomaterials and their potential applicability, are also addressed. In short, this review summarizes the current understanding and perspectives on such smart nanobiomaterials for diagnostics, treatment, and theranostics of diseases.