How to Spot a Troll

There are liars all over the internet, and sometimes it can be difficult to parse through everything you see online and determine what is fact and what is fiction. People participate in an act the internet has dubbed "trolling", where they purposefully spread misinformation for the sake of their amusement. Browsers of the web might …

The Algorithm: Marketing through Bias and Politicization

Image sources: Siteminder.com and Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania In my previous blog posts, I discussed the algorithm's tendency to feed off of people's political division to create a binary system of content recommendation rather than a shared news culture. For example, it was made evident that there was a relationship, or at the very …

The Harms Of Biases

Photo by Peter C on Pexels.com Biases encapsulates one's own opinions and rejects any contradicting point of view.  This can be very harmful to both the individual as well as to others.  Unfortunately, the news and information we consume daily is filled with biases and it is harder than ever to filter out personal views …

Where does Gonzo journalism stand today?

Image: Unsplash At first glance, it seems appropriate to assume that many corners of today's journalism take from the Gonzo style of writing that emerged in the 60s and 70s: a style of writing in which the reporter's personal involvement and inner experiences are key to the narrative.  Online blogging naturally comes with a personal …

Harms of Conspiracy Theories

Photo by: Getty Images Are conspiracy theories harmful to the makeup of media literacy? Conspiracy theories can manipulate information to grow a following on a topic or have people question the actual reality of a situation. There are possibilities that conspiracy theories are true, but there is a lot of speculation about spreading ideas around. …

The Importance of a Media Literacy Curriculum

Media literacy was a new term to me prior to this class. From my previous education, I was soley taught to make sure my essays and research papers had “reliable” and “peer-edited” sources. With that mindset, that made me think any article straight from Google search was an unreliable source and should not be integrated …

How to Define Fake News, Identify it, and Analyze its Proliferation

Fake News is a controversial term familiar to most Americans, but what exactly does it refer to? Image source: Stanford University News The term "fake news" is a widespread and politically charged buzzword, with its meaning often unclear. Most would probably be most familiar with the words "fake news" from the 2016 U.S. election, where …

The Unvaccinated V.S the Vaccinated: New York’s concentration camps

Image from Instagram In December of 2021, I opened my Instagram account to friends sharing the possibility of New York opening a concentration camp for the unvaccinated. A few friends sent me the post and for a quick second, the information presented looked real. The post included bills and signatures but there were a few …

New Media’s Effects on Social Capital

In the past couple of decades, we have seen a drop in social capital in our society, as it seemingly becomes harder and harder to find things to unite and connect large groups of people in a way that creates an understandable common purpose. When one thinks of the technological advancements of the past couple …

Bring Media Literacy Home

Growing up, I had no media literacy education. When all of my friends were on Facebook I was being told that I couldn’t make an account. I didn’t know why and it wasn’t explained to me. By the time I was allowed to make an account parents had already gotten on and it was no …