Media Literacy
Objectives
Discuss complex areas of media literacy beyond identification of false or misleading stories in the media (i.e; engagement, activism, etc.)
Develop a deeper understanding of methods used to navigate social media responsibly
Understand the impact of social media posting
Understanding models of online activism
Introduction
Media Literacy is the ability to access, analyze, and evaluate media in a variety of forms. Some media contains propaganda, intentionally misleading material, or unchecked facts. Many articles and media have a degree of bias in their framing of content/issues. Media literacy is about understanding and evaluating the spectrum of credibility.
“Fake News”
Do you think fake news is a problem? Why or why not? And if so, what can we do to address this problem?
Differentiate between the true definition of fake news — stories that are completely fabricated/fictional — and the other ways in which the term is being used, such as to describe news that you disagree with, news that is biased, or news that is flawed.
Online Activism
Topic Questions: Do you follow activists or activist organizations on social media? How do they influence your beliefs and perceptions? Why do you think youth gravitate toward online activism? What are some strengths and weaknesses of digital activism?
Name a community issue you have been working on or would like to see addressed. How might you use digital activism and social media to achieve your goals?
Dialogue Resources
Online Resources
Literary Resources
Andrews, Kenneth, Kraig Beyerlein, and Tuneka Tucker. 2016. “The Legitimacy of Protest: Explaining White Southerners’ Attitudes Toward the Civil Rights Movement.” Social Forces 94(3): 1021-1044.
Beyerlein, Kraig, Sarah Soule, and Nancy Martin. 2015 “Prayers, Protest, and Police: How Religion Influences Police Presence at Collective Action Events in the United States, 1960-1995.” American Sociological Review 80(6): 1250-1271.
Carnesecca, Cole. 2015. “Voice of the Masses: the Internet and Responsive Authoritarianism in China”. In Urban Mobilization and New Media in Contemporary China. Edited by Hanspieter Kriesi. Farnham: Ashgate.
Crossley, Alison Dahl. 2015. “Facebook Feminism: Social Media, Blogs, and New Technologies of Contemporary US Feminism.” Mobilization 20(2): 253-268.
Earl, Jennifer, Thomas V. Maher, and Thomas Elliott. 2017. “Youth, Activism, and Social Movements” Sociology Compass. 11(4)
Farrell, Justin. 2014. “Moral Outpouring: Shock and Generosity in the Aftermath of the BP Oil Spill.” Social Problems. 61(3): 482-506.
Gordon, Hava. 2007. “Allies Within and Without: How Adolescent Activists Conceptualize Ageism and Navigate Adult Power in Youth Social Movements” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. 36(6):631-668.
Taylor, Marshall A., and Carol Rambo. 2015 [2013]. "White Shame, White Pride: Emotional Cultures, Feeling Rules, and Emotion Exemplars in White Supremacist Movement Music." International Journal of Crime, Criminal Justice, and Law.
McAdam, Doug. 1986. “Recruitment to High-Risk Activism: The Case of Freedom Summer” American Journal of Sociology. 92(1): 64-90.
McVeigh, Rory, David Cunningham, and Justin Farrell. 2014. "Political Polarization as a Social Movement Outcome: 1960s Klan Activism and Its Enduring Impact on Political Realignment in Southern Counties, 1960 to 2000." American Sociological Review. 79(6): 1144-1171.
Van Dyke, Nella. 1998. “Hotbeds of Activism: Locations of Student Protest” Social Problems. 45(2): 205-220.
Van Ness, Justin, and Erika Summers-Effler. 2016. “Reimagining Collective Behavior.” Handbook of Contemporary Sociological Theory.
Books
Summers-Effler, Erika. 2010. Laughing Saints and Righteous Heroes: Emotional Rhythms in Social Movement Groups. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Find it here.
Jackie Smith and Ernesto Verdeja, eds. 2013. Globalization, Social Movements and Peacebuilding. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. Find it here.
