This document discusses the need for libraries and educational institutions to help citizens develop stronger media and information competencies to cope with the disruptive digital whirlwind age. It notes that artificial intelligence and social media will increase information flows, while "fake news" and misinformation can spread rapidly. Libraries and schools have an opportunity to train citizens to assess messages critically using both intuitive "System 1" thinking and more deliberative "System 2" thinking. They should help people identify reliable sources and evaluate information objectively. Developing these competencies will help society benefit more from new technologies.

1. Info-competencies for the
disruptive digital whirlwind
age:
The Library Role
Presentation for:
7th International Summit of the Book
Session 7 “Libraries will have to change dramatically to cope with the
expected transformations in technology as well as changes in social
behavior…”
Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC)
Baku, Azerbayan – March 18-19, 2018
Jesús Lau, PhD
jlau@uv.mx / jesuslau@gmail.com /
www.jesuslau.com.mx
jesuslau: Twitter, LinkedIn, FB, ResearchGate,
Education.edu, Slideshare, Instagram
Researcher, Institute of Engineering / Professor,
Pedagogy School- DSAE,
Universidad Veracruzana, Region Veracruz
Boca del Rio, Veracruz, Mexico

2. Disruptive Digital Whirlwind Age
• An evolving social media
• Artificial intelligence will make social media
smarter
• Information constantly flows through smart
mobile phones and other media to people
• An increasing and disruptive social information
era
• Demands more information-skilled citizens

3. Dialectic Negative Impact of Media and Information
• Post-Truth
• Fake News
• Cyber Bullying
• Smear political campaigns
• Seducing marketing
• Socialbots, expected to play a major role in future shaping of
public opinion by autonomously acting as incessant and never-
tiring influencers (Wikipedia -
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_bot)

4. Lies Spread Faster Than Truth
Vosoughi et al. Science, this issue p. 1146
• “Data set of rumor cascades on Twitter from 2006 to 2017
• About 126,000 rumors were spread by ∼3 million people.
• False news reached more people than the truth;
• Top 1% of false news cascades diffused to between 1000 and
100,000 people
• Truth rarely diffused to more than 1000 people
• Falsehood also diffused faster than the truth
• The degree of novelty and the emotional reactions of recipients may
be responsible for the differences observed.”

5. Brain Foraging: Image Impact
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278262615300178
• “Cognitive neuroscience research
demonstrates the profound effect that
viewing such images can have on neural
activity, physiological and psychological
responses, and visual attention, especially in
the ‘hungry’ brain”
• We eat first with our eyes
• Food porn – Gastroporn

6. • Digestion of information takes time
• Citizens have limited time to discern
data objectivity and reliability
• Overwhelming number of messages
and data flows

7. Library and Education
Institutions´Role
Libraries and educational systems have a
great opportunity to increase training of
citizens in assessing the whirlwind of
message content
These institutions ought to contribute to
create a stronger media and information
culture in their communities.

8. Modes of Human Thought
Daniel Kahneman (25 October 2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-
4299-6935-2. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
A dichotomy:
• "System 1" is fast, instinctive and
emotional
• "System 2" is slower, more deliberative,
and more logical

9. Media and Information
Competencies
 Libraries and educational institutions training role:
 How to be an intuitive thinker:
• What, Why, Who, Where, When, and How
(5W1H)
• Too good or tu bad to be true principle
 How to be a rational thinker:
• How to access to reliable sources
• How to evaluate media and information

10. Conclusions
• Current and future information technology will benefit
society if citizens know how to
• Increasing technologial advances will demand more
information skilled society
• Media and information competencies are must
• Libraries and education systems ought to play a
stronger instructional information role