This document summarizes Renee Hobbs' work on media literacy education. It discusses the rise of digital propaganda and the need to advance media literacy in schools. Key points include: 1. Media literacy education has its roots in propaganda education and can help people recognize different types of "fake news" like disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes. 2. Schools need support like curriculum standards, teacher training, and resources to effectively teach media literacy and help students critically analyze stories in entertainment and news media. 3. Engaging in global, multi-perspective dialogue through activities like social media encounters can increase understanding of propaganda worldwide and recognize hate speech. 4. Students can use social media and digital tools

1. Renee Hobbs
Professor of Communication Studies
Director, Media Education Lab
University of Rhode Island USA
Twitter: @reneehobbs
Media Literacy
in an Age of Digital
Propaganda

2. Rising inequality is contributing to increased
political polarization, nationalism,
violent extremism and hate speech

3. www.mediaeducationlab.com

5. What’s Needed to Advance
Media Literacy Education in
Elementary & Secondary Schools
1. Curriculum Standards and
Frameworks
2. Teacher Education and
Professional Development
3. Professional Networks for
Information Sharing
4. Curricular Resources, Instructional
Strategies and Materials
5. Support for Program Evaluation
and Research on Effectiveness
6. Supportive Implementation
Climate

6. Why is digital propaganda rising around the world?

10. A lie can get
around the
world while
truth is still
putting on its
shoes.
- Mark Twain

11. Sponsored Content
Clickbait
PR Stunts
Trolls & Bots
Sock Puppets
Hoaxes
Conspiracy Theories

12. Coordinated use of social media by American white-nationalist
groups on Twitter have increased by 600% since 2012

13. In just one month, ISIL released 1,150 propaganda events –
batches of related videos, articles, photos, essays – originating
from 35 different production units

14. New Realities in a
Networked Global Society
 Cost to produce
content is low
 Massive
fragmentation of
production &
consumption
 Viral sharing means
popularity = profit
 Content is consumed
as unbundled
snippets on social
media

15.  Selective exposure
 Confirmation bias
 Performative sharing
60% of people share
content without
reading/viewing it
Essentials of Human
Information Processing

16. New Forms of Authority
Attention economics are surpassing traditional forms of
authority and expertise
our attention — and
most of it free —
being found is
valuable."
 Immediacy
 Personalization
 Interpretation
 Findability

17. What instructional strategies help us find truth
in an age of digital propaganda?

18. Build awareness & understanding of
many forms of digital media
Critically analyze how stories are
presented in entertainment & non-
fiction media
Engage in global &
multi-perspectival dialogue
Use the power of social media to
speak out on behalf of truth
Instructional Strategies

19. Build Awareness and Understanding of
Many Forms of Media

20. Build Awareness and Understanding of
Many Forms of Media
BBC INTERVIEW MEME

22. @reneehobbs
It’s time to stop
using the term
“fake news”

23. Six Types of “Fake News”
Disinformation
Propaganda
Hoax
Parody/Satire
Errors in Journalism
Partisanship

24. Six Types of “Fake News”
Disinformation
Propaganda
Hoax
Parody/Satire
Errors in Journalism
Partisanship
Informing and Engaging the Public
Controlling Knowledge, Attitudes & Values
Cultural Criticism or Creative Expression

25. Propaganda
1622
Congregatio de Propaganda Fide

26. What is Propaganda?
• Propaganda appears in a variety of forms
• Propaganda is strategic and intentional
• Propaganda aims to influence attitudes, opinions and
behaviors
• Propaganda can be beneficial or harmful
• Propaganda may use truth, half-truths or lies
• To be successful, propaganda taps into our deepest
values, fears, hopes and dreams
Hobbs, R. (2013). The blurring of art, journalism and advocacy: Confronting 21st century propaganda in
a world of online journalism. I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society 8(3), 625 –
638.

27. Media Literacy Education has its
Roots in Propaganda Education
Hobbs, R. & McGee, S. (2014). Teaching about propaganda: An
examination of the historical roots of media literacy. Journal of Media
Literacy Education 6(2), 56 – 67.

28. Where is Propaganda Found?
Advertising
Journalism & Public Relations
Political Communication
Education
Entertainment
Activism
Religion

29. Creating Propaganda
Hoaxes
Parody/Satire
ACTIVATE STRONG EMOTIONS
USE “US VS THEM” FRAMING
SIMPLIFY INFORMATION & IDEAS
RESPOND TO AUDIENCE NEEDS

30. VIRALITY
when information, an image or video
gets circulated rapidly and widely
from one Internet user to another

31. The Most Viral Video
of All Time
Jason Russell, director and producer of KONY 2012
Hobbs, R. (2013). The blurring of art, journalism and advocacy: Confronting 21st century propaganda in
a world of online journalism. I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society 8(3), 625 –
638.

32. MEDIA
LITERACY
SMARTPHONE

34. KONY 2012

37. People Have an Increased Choice of Thought Leaders

38. Who are Your Thought Leaders?
Who Do You Influence?

39. Sharing is a Practice of
Digital Authorship

40. Critically Analyze How Stories are
Presented in Entertainment &
Non-Fiction Media
Suffragette (2015)
Dir: Sarah Gavron
HERO
VILLAIN
VICTIM

41. Suffragette (2015)
Dir: Sarah Gavron

42. Critically Analyze How Stories are
Presented in Entertainment &
Non-Fiction Media
Suffragette (2015)
Dir: Sarah Gavron
HERO
VILLAIN
VICTIM
When emotional are activated, it can be difficult to analyze
media messages. Dialogue and discussion are vital tools
of inquiry.

43. Dialogue and Critical Analysis
Through Digital Annotation
Video ANT
www.ant.umn.edu

44. Message: What is the nature of the
information and ideas being expressed?
Techniques: What symbols and rhetorical
strategies are used to attract attention and
activate emotional response? What makes
them effective?
Means of Communication & Format: How did
the message reach people and what form
does it take?
Environment: Where, when and how may
people have encountered the message?
Audience Receptivity: How may people think
and feel about the message and how free
they are to accept or reject it?
CONTEXT

45. Engage in Global &
Multi-Perspectival Dialogue

46. Engage in Global &
Multi-Perspectival Dialogue
MIND OVER MEDIA
INTERCULTURAL ENCOUNTER
THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

47. www.mindovermedia.eu

49. www.mindovermedia.tv
1,200+ examples of
contemporary
propaganda from all
over the world

53. Recognize and Resist Propaganda and
Hate Speech

54. Recognize and Resist Propaganda and
Hate Speech

55. Recognize and Resist Propaganda and
Hate Speech

56. www.mindovermedia.tv
 Increases awareness of
contemporary propaganda
 Promotes reflective & critical
thinking
 Activates intellectual curiosity
 Increases awareness of
multiperspectival interpretations

57. MIDDLE SCHOOL INTERCULTURAL ENCOUNTER
Lessons Include:
 Getting to Know You
 Learning About Two Countries
 Analyzing TV Shows that Feature High School
 Discussing Current Events
 Exchanging Student Videos about Daily Life
Tuzel, S. & Hobbs, R. (2017). The use of social media and popular culture to advance
cross-cultural understanding. Communicar 25(51), 63 – 72.

59. Sharing ideas about
war and peace

60. Information sharing
includes student-curated
images and links
As they discusssed American & Turkish popular culture,
students gained deeper awareness of structural inequalities
in global information flows

61. Use the Power of Social
Media to Speak out on
Behalf of Truth
Instagram Sharing
GrGRATITUDE

62. Youth Media Making is a Vital Component of
Media Literacy Education

63. Youth Media Making is a Vital Component of
Media Literacy Education

64. Use the Power of Social
Media to Speak out on
Behalf of Truth

65. Use the Power of
Communication to Speak
out on Behalf of Truth
Flipgrid.com

66. Flipgrid.com
Use the Power of Social
Media to Speak out on
Behalf of Truth

67. Sharing Diverse Points of View Helps
People Address Fallacies
of the “Post-Truth Era”

68. Build awareness & understanding of
many forms of digital media
Critically analyze how stories are
presented in entertainment & non-
fiction media
Engage in global &
multi-perspectival dialogue
Use the power of social media to
speak out on behalf of truth
How to Advance
Media Literacy Competencies

69. Heightened
awareness of
media use
Balances benefits &
risks by using using
media content in
socially responsible
ways
Critically analyzes
messages to
evaluate credibility
& quality
Creates media for self-expression,
communication & advocacy
Reflects on how
media influence
attitudes &
behaviors
Understands media
systems & the
political economy of
the media
Aware of how media
constructs
representations of
ideas, events & people
in ways that impact
democratic processes
Participates in a
collaborative digital
knowledge
community
Uses digital texts, tools
& technologies for
inquiry learning
Gains competence
and confidence with
digital technologies by
practicing & self-
learning
Literacy is Expanding
DIGITAL LITERACY MEDIA LITERACY
Aware of interpretation
processes at work in the sharing
of meaning
Aware of how digital
texts circulate as
culture

70. A democratic civilization will save itself only if it
makes the language of the image into a stimulus for
critical reflection, not an invitation to hypnosis.
-- Umberto Eco

71. Renee Hobbs
Professor of Communication Studies
Director, Media Education Lab
Harrington School of Communication & Media
University of Rhode Island USA
Email: hobbs@uri.edu
Twitter: @reneehobbs
LEARN MORE
Web: www.mediaeducationlab.com

72. www.mediaeducationlab.com