College students on media literacy and the way faculties might help
Social media is a prime supply of stories for practically three in 4 college students, and half not less than considerably belief platforms similar to Instagram and TikTok to ship that information and different important data precisely. As for legacy media sources, specifically newspapers, simply two in 10 college students point out they frequently depend on them for information. That’s at the same time as most college students point out they belief newspapers to convey correct data.
These are among the findings from Inside Larger Ed’s new Scholar Voice flash survey with Technology Lab on media literacy, carried out final month. A few of the information appears grim in mild of declining public belief in establishments and experience, and the unfold of misinformation—considerations that lots of the survey’s 1,026 two-year and four-year respondents share: Some 62 p.c categorical some or numerous concern concerning the unfold of misinformation amongst their school friends. (See additionally this month’s information that Meta is eliminating third-party fact-checkers.) And never fairly half of respondents (46 p.c) approve of the job faculties and universities as an entire are doing to advertise college students’ media literacy.
On the similar time, the info suggests that faculties and universities are not less than considerably efficient on this space. One instance: Only one in 10 college students charges their degree of media literacy previous to attending school as very excessive, in comparison with the quarter of scholars who fee their present degree of media literacy as very excessive. Almost all respondents, 98 p.c, additionally point out they frequently follow not less than some fundamental media literacy abilities to examine the accuracy of the knowledge they’re consuming. To some extent, this challenges ongoing skepticism about college students’ important pondering talents and how useful faculties are in creating them.
When requested to spotlight methods faculties and universities might help them construct their consciousness and abilities, college students ranked creating digital assets to study media literacy highest on a listing of doable actions.
Inside Larger Ed and Technology Lab outlined media literacy within the survey as the power or abilities to critically analyze for accuracy, credibility or proof of bias within the content material created and consumed in sources together with radio, tv, the web and social media. Learn on for an outline of the findings in six charts, plus some further evaluation—and the way faculties might help shut a few of these gaps.
College students’ prime sources for information are social media and family and friends/phrase of mouth. Comparatively few college students point out they frequently get their information from sources similar to newspapers, broadcast/community TV information, radio or magazines. That is comparatively constant throughout establishment kind (two-year/four-year and public/non-public nonprofit), although college students at non-public nonprofits (n=259) are more likely than their public counterparts (n=767) to point they learn newspapers, at 38 p.c versus 15 p.c, respectively. By scholar kind, these 25 and older (n=167) are a lot much less possible than their friends 18 to 24 (n=842) to say they depend on family and friends/phrase of mouth for information, at 33 p.c versus 52 p.c, respectively.
Most college students aren’t turning to legacy media as a prime supply of stories, although they often categorical belief in sources similar to newspapers and broadcast community/TV information to ship information and different important data precisely. However greater than half additionally categorical some or a substantial amount of belief in social media to ship correct data. Similar for family and friends/phrase of mouth.
When participating with media of various varieties, about two in three college students say they frequently examine the accuracy of the knowledge by analyzing the supply’s perspective and/or doable biases, pondering critically concerning the message delivered (similar to distinguishing truth from opinion), and verifying the knowledge utilizing different sources.
Roughly half of scholars additionally say they take into account the algorithm that’s pushing them sure content material on web sites and/or social media, pause to examine the knowledge earlier than sharing with others or on social media, and determine who or what further sources are being included within the content material. Whereas practically all college students point out they follow a few of these abilities, some variations emerge by political affiliation, with self-identified Democrats extra possible than self-identified Republicans to report analyzing the supply’s perspective and/or doable biases, for instance, at 68 p.c versus 53 p.c.
Many college students point out that their degree of media literacy has elevated in school. College students additionally categorical extra confidence in their very own degree of media literacy than that of their friends, on common: Whereas 72 p.c of scholars fee their very own degree of media literacy as considerably or very excessive, simply 32 p.c fee their friends’ degree of media literacy this manner, on common. And college students throughout a spread of demographics categorical not less than some concern concerning the unfold of misinformation amongst their school friends. This consists of 63 p.c of each Democrats and Republicans. By age, respondents 25 and older are likelier to specific a really excessive degree of concern (37 p.c of this group versus 24 p.c of the 18-to-24 set).
How are establishments doing in the case of serving to college students construct their media literacy? As with their very own degree of media literacy relative to their friends’, respondents have a rosier view of their very own establishment than they do of upper training as an entire. That is comparatively constant throughout establishment sorts, although college students at non-public nonprofits are much less possible than their public counterparts to approve of the job faculties and universities on the whole are doing.
As for a way establishments can finest assist college students enhance their media literacy, the highest choose from a listing of choices (as much as two selections) is creating digital assets for college kids to study media literacy (35 p.c). One other comparatively common possibility is embedding coaching on media literacy in a first-year seminar or program (31 p.c). This feature is extra common amongst four-year school college students than it’s amongst two-year college students. However creating peer-to-peer teaching programs on media literacy is extra common amongst two-year college students than it’s amongst four-year college students.
Constructing Habits and Competencies
Renee Hobbs, professor of communication research and director of the Media Schooling Lab on the College of Rhode Island, says it’s “no shock that school college students depend on their household and pals and social networks for information, as do most People.” In a single comparability, an Clever survey of four-year school college students following the 2024 election, respondents cited TikTok and Instagram as their prime two information sources. The identical survey discovered that college students for voted for President-elect Donald Trump have been twice as more likely to get their information from podcasts as those that voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. In Inside Larger Ed’s survey, Democrats are considerably extra possible than Republicans to quote information podcasts as a prime information supply (12 p.c versus 4 p.c, respectively), however Republicans are considerably extra possible than Democrats to depend on opinion podcasts (12 p.c versus 5 p.c).
Hobbs says it’s a “consolation” that even one in 5 Scholar Voice respondents depends closely on newspapers. That the identical, comparatively small share expresses a really excessive degree of belief in newspapers and broadcast information confirms nationwide developments, she provides; a fall ballot from Gallup, for instance, discovered that confidence in mass media remained at a low. Noting the existence of lively “information avoiders,” whose ranks are rising, based on information from the Reuters Institute, Hobbs says that her personal media literacy college students are required to learn the newspaper. Seems, many “respect the chance to take up the behavior.”
Relating to the ever-expanding area the place media literacy overlaps with digital literacy, Hobbs’s personal ongoing analysis means that educating about algorithmic personalization could be very low, not less than in Okay-12 training. On the similar time, many school college students are digitally savvy, and Hobbs says a few of her personal college students have important followings on platforms similar to Instagram, TikTok and Twitch.
As for a way faculties and universities might help, Hobbs says normal training necessities—similar to these urged within the survey—“is likely to be the perfect place for media literacy to thrive in a better training context.” Studying outcomes from Hobbs’s personal digital media literacy course fulfill gen ed necessities relating to efficient communication and creating and fascinating in civic data and obligations.
Hobbs provides that tutorial librarians are leaders in media and digital literacy initiatives on many campuses, and that “top-of-the-line methods for school and college college students to develop media literacy competencies” is by creating media themselves. Prospects embody creating web sites, podcasts, movies for YouTube or different social media, or creating a neighborhood public service media marketing campaign or outreach program. Different alternatives? Working on the school newspaper or radio station or managing social media for a university unit or group.
“Creating media is an effective way to develop media literacy abilities, and school school could also be pleasantly stunned to see what their college students can create with none particular prompting.”
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