As the big global election year of 2024 winds down, it has become apparent that media literacy skills worldwide are failing. Most of the places that had their big elections blew it. Misinformation and disinformation are issues we must reckon with to salvage things.
I started writing a post titled ” The anti-imperialist-imperialist” earlier this year to vent my frustration with those who shared some of my political views. Still, I decided to refrain from doing so. Much of my frustration was from people trying to lump Ukraine in the wrong boxes and frame it as some western PSYOP. I spent much time complaining about many who shared most of my opinions but turned several issues into sweeping generalizations and false equivalencies.
However, after Trump’s victory, I realized I spent a bit too much time with them and did not realize a big group of under 30 picked Trump, and it wasn’t only traditional “Trump types.” I realized many of these initially moderate Elon worshipping types got picked up. However, on the other hand, it is easier to react to the ones you are closest to and those with whom you are in your bubble. This is a mistake I made.
This is funny, as I used to praise Gen Z for being more thoughtful than my generation or the ones above. Now I joke and say, ” Now we have to watch our parents and grandparents from watching Fox News so it doesn’t get to their head, and now these college students from spending too much time on TikTok.” It’s not only an American thing, but this happened in many key European elections. It’s also not just the Western world. It’s a global phenomenon.
I don’t wish to wave my CV around, but I have spent some time on this subject. While my background is in geopolitics, I have cooperated with several organizations that deal with media literacy for nearly a decade, and it has become a cause that means something to me. I now realize that the lack of media literacy is becoming more pressing than ever. I can’t fix it, but I will try to educate a few people.
Some red flags when reading an article or coming across a social media post
- The source is mediocre. No, it doesn’t need to be from a Western source but needs a temperature check.
- Sensationalist heading: Read the whole thing before posting or taking this as gospel. If it has a crazy headline, it is probably full of BS.
- Check the author or speaker: It’s easy to get trapped into this. I almost fell for one a couple of months ago when Liam Cosgrove criticized US foreign policy spokesperson Matt Miller during a press briefing. It wasn’t until the end that he mentioned briefly something about the US leading a proxy war with Ukraine; that is how my spidey senses got to me. This guy works for the Greyzone, which is very anti-Ukraine. This leads me to my next point.
- Just because someone is right on one subject, they can be very wrong on many others. I have seen this with Palestine and Ukraine, and I’m seeing it now with Syria.
- Try to hold back emotions: A lot is happening worldwide, and it is hard not to feel emotions about these horrible things. But when you read something, try to have an almost neutral mind. I write for many clients who do not share all my views. I must deliver a simply factual piece with no emotion and not remove facts that don’t suit my worldview.
- Be wary of short-term content.
Some excellent sources to further media literacy skills
As I said, I can’t explain much in a post; I have also had to recalibrate some things myself. These links might help better.
Media Literacy Now has many sources and worksheets. It is excellent for educators or parents and can help tackle these issues.
EDMO: This is more for my EU audience. It provides an overview of the media landscape in different situations.
Video infographics from Temple University on this topic. They do a good job.
Southern Poverty Law Center: They have many excellent resources for improving media literacy skills. I highly recommend supporting them.
Newseum ED: It also has some good material
Reporters Without Borders Index: It does not provide much information about media literacy, but it is a good source for getting an overview of a country’s media landscape.
Suggested People to follow
- Anne Applebaum is my favorite author. She is an American journalist and historian who has written extensively about the history of Communism and the development of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe.
- Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib: A Gazan scholar who has suffered from Israeli and Hamas leadership
- The Wellness Therapist: An Iranian-American who debunks a lot of disinformation, cults, and pseudoscience
- Elica Lebon: Iranian British American activist who calls out much of this praise for the “axis of resistance.” She gets a lot of heat from all sides. She calls out things from the Islamic Republic of Iran, their proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis), and things from the Israeli government.
- People not states: It is a page that calls out genocide denialism from all sides
- Anna Gomboeva: She is an Indigenous scholar from Siberia. Anna exposes many Soviet and Russian human rights issues against nonethnic Russians in Russia.
- Roaming Pencil: She is a friend of a friend. She shares many things going on that contradict a lot of Israeli propaganda. She presents a good voice coming from the inside and provides many helpful links that directly help give funds to people in Gaza. I used her in a previous post a few years ago and continue to enjoy her material.
Not all of the people I just shared will have the same ideas and opinions as me or the others I shared, but they bring insight into much of what is happening with the world around them. I like their perspectives and what they call out. I can think of more, but these are just a few.
Some extra tips
Disinformation VS Misinformation: Knowing the difference between disinformation and misinformation regarding media literacy is essential. Misinformation is “false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead.” Disinformation is ” to deliver intentionally misleading or biased information; manipulated narrative or facts; propaganda.”
Study: Try to learn some basic history of where you are arguing about, especially if you are an American who has never left the West; you should educate yourself on the history of the region you are arguing about. Talk to those from these places you want to know about.
The prices of things are not tied to the president! There are so many things that go into the prices of things. Yes, Bitcoin went up. But let’s see how that goes. Also, Crypto and the stock market aren’t going to help a lot of people, especially when tariffs go up or if the planet is underwater.
A despot and a demagogue are never the answer. There might be many issues with the mainstream establishment, but a defunct despot isn’t the answer to getting rid of it, and replacing a despot with another despot is also not the answer.
Putting a person or doctrine on a pedestal is not the way. There is no politician, really a person, or a doctrine that ends in “ism” likely worth investing all of your passion and energy into. No one person will save the world or has all the answers. Hero Worship is pointless unless it is Dolly Parton.
Widen your circle: One of the best teachings I have ever had was having an international group of friends. I am friends with Iranians, Lebanese, Syrians, Israelis, Palestinians, Georgians, Russians, Ukrainians, Kurds, Turks, Afghans, and others whose countries are involved in a conflict. I am also friends with people from other countries ( list too long) personally victimized by birth country. Ultimately, many of them want the same thing in life. It also helps you learn not to dehumanize people. Friends from other cultures, classes, and nations is one of the small things we can do to stand up against toxic rhetoric.
Not everything is a Western coup or influence: I have had this argument from leftists. Many people in Lebanon, Georgia, and Iran want some of the things that we have in the West, not because they are Western, but because they are 21st-century. Many younger people in this area prefer secularization. They want some form of democracy and self-expression. Stop dismissing them.
Western Imperialism isn’t the only form of Imperialism: It plays the other side of the coin to the American exceptionalism myth. Putin, Khamenei, Assad, Erdogan, and Khamenei, many others have also played into the hands of the suffering of millions. I saw many try to make claims in the situation with Ukraine in 2022 that were just wrong. At the same time, many ran to support Palestine and Gaza, which was mainly good, although some hateful rhetoric came from some grifters. The Iranian Women’s Life Freedom Movement was primarily ignored by some of the same people just a year earlier. Many were too afraid to touch on Iran as they were too afraid to be supportive of some cause they deemed as too Western or siding against the anti-imperialist.
Not every cause is directly related—I’ve seen many activists do this. Yes, there are connections to be made in many situations: Indigenous Americans, Palestinians, Sudanese, Kurds, whoever. Many aspects of capitalism and colonialism (and yes, a lot from the West) are part of the problem. However, not every case is congruent.
Two things can be true simultaneously: That shouldn’t need further explaining.
Anyway, here is my drop in the bucket in explaining media literacy! Take what you will. I also have things I still need to learn. If this isn’t something, don’t worry about coming up with more travel pieces soon in Central and Southeast Asia!