Media in the global learning crises and pandemia
By Tapio Varis, Professor Emeritus To be published in 2021 by “Media. Information. Communication” (MIC), Moscow Pedagogical State University, http://mic.org.ru/en/ The world is facing serious socio-economic impact as the consequence of the pandemic. The global situation is also challenging the media and communication systems. The United Nations has warned of education catastrophe and recommends that preventing a learning crisis from becoming a generational catastrophe requires urgent action from all: “Education is not only a fundamental human right. It is an enabling right with direct impact on the realization of all other human rights. [...]
Press Freedom: One of the pillars for democratic societies
Nowadays, the media play a vital role in our everyday lives. Technological advances and progress have brought new media usage to the fore and have given a new meaning to "freedom of speech." Through social media, everyone can express his/her opinion regarding several subjects without second thoughts. However, according to some, the new era of social media has brought some new doubts: does freedom of speech have ethical and political boundaries? How can the ability to express our opinion relate to the spread of false information that “harms” rather than inform citizens and, thus, [...]
Maintain your media balance to attain your digital well-being!
EAVI theme of the year 2021: Digital Well-Being We live in an era of rapid technological advances. Our everyday lives are inseparably linked with the digital world. Especially now that COVID-19 has brought so many changes, communication through digital media is influencing greatly our education, work, and entertainment. We keep connecting and disconnecting with our gadgets, and in fact, we find it hard to distinguish those two states and to set boundaries. That is the new reality we are living in, and it applies to us all, including children and young people. According to [...]
Our ‘Social Dilemma’ Made Worse without Media Literacy
Not often does a documentary cause so much controversy among such a wide audience. But when Netflix’s The Social Dilemma crashed into its top 10 movies the week of its release last month, nearly everybody familiar with its themes had something to say about it. The creators of the critically acclaimed 2017 documentary Chasing Coral have teamed up with the co-founders of The Center for Humane Technology and created, together with a cast of mainly former titans of Silicon Valley social media firms, a film with a stark message of the ills that [...]
Think You’re Media Literate? Think Again.
These days the path of empowerment is through media literacy. If you were born in the 20th or beginning of the 21st century, particularly in an economically developed country, you have likely grown up in a population where literacy rates are today nearly universal. It is easy to forget that for most of human history since the advent of writing, the majority of people around the world were completely illiterate. The ability to read and write, long associated with the exercise of power, was a set of technical skills exclusive to a privileged few, [...]
EAVI’s response to the European Democracy Action Plan
FEEDBACK Brussels, Belgium – 27 August 2020 EAVI’s response to the European Democracy Action Plan – Protecting European democracy from interference and manipulation Celebrating 15 years addressing issues of media literacy and citizenship, the European Association for Viewers Interests is the non-profit organisation that has worked the longest on media literacy and fully informed and engaged citizenship at EU level. EAVI is active in research, policy and practice. EAVI welcomes the efforts of the European Commission intended to contribute to shape a context more apt to protect our democracies. EAVI’s logo quotes ‘media literacy [...]
Update on The EAVI Test: A Factful look at the Digital Age
The role of new media and the internet has been undeniably increasing day by day, especially now more than ever due to the ongoing pandemic. As their importance increases, they also affect the way we see the world through what we read, what we react to and interact with. Media literacy -the ability to access, share, critically evaluate, create and participate in the media- now has become a life skill for everyone so that we can navigate ourselves in this era. At EAVI, we work on media literacy by raising awareness on the topic [...]
Media Literacy for All
Media are many different things to many people, and the ways they are designed and used affects all of our lives in myriad ways. In today’s digitised societies, making sense of the media landscape and learning to navigate it responsibly is essential for modern day citizenship. Indeed, a capacity for digital citizenship is required, one that understands that by receiving a quality media literacy education, new media need not be barriers, but powerful tools, for civic engagement. To ensure that digital citizenship is attainable by all members of society, media literacy programmes must include and [...]
Media Literacy Essential for Tackling COVID-19 Disinformation – Responding to the EC Communication
Press Release EAVI welcomes the recent Communication issued by the European Commission on how to tackle disinformation surrounding the COVID-19 global pandemic. Europe along with the rest of the world has not sufficiently braced itself against the current ‘infodemic’, the tidal wave of mis- and disinformation in the wake of COVID-19. Due to the novelty of the virus, it claims, gaps in knowledge amid a flood of information have created an ideal breeding ground for false and misleading narratives to spread. The Communication proposes new tools to fight disinformation, including further cooperation with [...]
Trump versus Twitter
Donald Trump’s twitter account has frequently been the subject of controversy, as he tests the boundaries of free speech by spreading misinformation to his millions of followers and harassing both celebrities and private citizens. Yet, for the first time, Twitter has fact-checked Trump. Twitter has generally taken a lax approach to monitoring political leaders, assuming that discussion would follow and hold them accountable. However, Trump’s misleading and blatantly false claims and conspiracy theories have caused backlash. This sentiment is particularly strong during the spread of Covid-19, where Trump’s misinformation concerns fake cures and treatments. Highlighting [...]
