Ever feel bombarded by news alerts, social updates, and a constant stream of online content? The constant buzz of the digital world can leave you feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Misinformation and negativity online can also adversely impact your mood and well-being.
Digital media literacy is your solution. These essential skills go beyond just using social media platforms. By understanding how content is created, consumed, and shared, you will gain the knowledge to navigate the digital landscape responsibly. This, in turn, empowers you to manage your digital interactions effectively and safeguard your mental health in the process.
This article will introduce the fundamental principles of digital media literacy. Additionally, it will explore common challenges in the digital world and provide practical strategies for better digital well-being.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines media and information literacy as a toolbox for finding information, evaluating its credibility, and organizing it effectively. This translates to the skills to be critical citizens and responsible content creators.
Hence, digital media literacy includes understanding how information is produced, the biases it might contain, and the techniques used to shape a message. Essentially, it is about turning information into usable knowledge.
Digital literacy takes traditional media literacy and applies it to the digital world (e.g., social media). Here is a breakdown of its key dimensions:
Digital literacy skills are the practical application of the foundational knowledge outlined above. These abilities empower individuals to navigate, contribute to, and critically engage with the digital world effectively.
Here is the list that makes up basic digital literacy skills according to a 2014 study:
These skills showcase that digitally literate individuals are people who can understand the hidden meanings in online messages. Moreover, they can create and share high-quality content themselves. They can use different platforms to participate in meaningful conversations and contribute to society.
The digital world offers endless possibilities, but navigating its complexities is not always smooth sailing. This section dives into some of the challenges online.
Digital devices offer constant connection and entertainment, but spending too much time with them can have a significant negative impact on overall health.
Excessive screen time has been linked to a range of negative impacts on both physical and psychological well-being. Overuse of digital devices disrupts sleep, increases stress, and contributes to physical issues like obesity. The blue light emitted can worsen mood and sleep quality.
Ultimately, excessive screen time can create a cycle of physical and mental strain.
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place online. It involves using digital devices to spread mean, embarrassing, or false information about someone.
This can happen anywhere online, but it is most common on texting apps, social media (like Facebook, Instagram, etc.), online discussion forums or message boards, and video game communities.
Cyberbullying can be found in many forms, such as:
Studies have found that people who experience cyberbullying are more likely to report symptoms of social anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. In severe cases, cyberbullying can lead to self-harm or suicide.
Read more: Bullying Prevention Starts With ‘Why’
Misinformation refers to information that is not quite accurate, and often gets the facts mixed up.
While misinformation has always existed, the internet and social media have made it spread like wildfire. This rapid sharing can have serious consequences for digital well-being as it causes anxiety and fear.
In the long term, the effect can be much worse. It can lead people to hold false beliefs and engage in risky behaviors. For instance, false claims about vaccines can lead parents to delay vaccinating their children, which puts them at risk for fatal diseases.
Therefore, it is important to filter the information you find online. Here are the steps that are suggested by Joe Carrigan, a senior security engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute, to confront misinformation online:
This section explores methods for developing digital literacy skills. By implementing these strategies, you can practice digital well-being.
Critical thinking is an active process where people ask questions, gather relevant details, and sort them thoughtfully. Critical people connect this new information to what they already know, challenge their assumptions, and reason logically to reach reliable conclusions.
At its core, critical thinking involves a set of mental skills like:
To practice critical thinking when evaluating online information, here are the five steps to do it:
As one of the challenges noted, excessive screen time can bring negative effects to physical and psychological conditions. By mindfully limiting screen time, people can slowly build a habit that would decrease their screen time in the long run. Here are some suggestions to do it:
Read more: How to Help Children Develop Healthy Screen Time
Social media has become your online identifier, so it is important to audit it. The aim is to review the contents of your digital platforms and make necessary changes to make it more beneficial for future opportunities or to represent yourself better.
Here are the steps to do a social media audit, focusing on maintaining a positive and responsible online presence:
Engaging too much in online spheres would lead to an imbalance in your offline activities. If you find yourself having less time to spend with your friends and family, not getting work done or leaving chores unttended, or even constantly comparing yourself with others online, it might be best to sign off from the online environment.
To balance your online and offline presence, it is essential to prioritize offline activities like reading, hobbies, or spending time in nature. Ensuring sufficient sleep and nutritious meals provides the energy needed to engage in these activities. Strong in-person connections with loved ones are crucial too.
Read more: A Guide to Responsible Social Media Usage for Improved Well-Being
Digital detox refers to taking breaks from technology and the internet. It can involve both completely disconnecting for a period of time and finding ways to use technology less overall.
Here are some suggestions for doing a digital detox:
Read more: The Transformative Power of a Digital Detox
Despite all the benefits the internet brings, it also poses harmful risks to people’s digital well-being. The nonstop nature of the digital world can be draining, and the spread of misinformation can leave people stressed and overwhelmed.
This article has explored the concept of digital media literacy and how it empowers you to navigate the online landscape responsibly. By learning these skills, you can become an informed consumer of information, filter out misinformation and negativity, and become more aware of how you use online platforms.
The choice is yours. By actively enhancing your digital media literacy, you can transform the online world from a source of stress into a tool for connection, learning, and personal growth. Take control of your digital wellness.
If you would like to see more resources on digital media literacy, check out the Wellbeing Science Labs. The lab uses the research of the Institute for Life Management Science to produce courses, certifications, podcasts, videos, and other tools. Visit the Wellbeing Science Labs today.
Photo by Freepik
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