By David Bulla
Every student in Georgia needs to know the portion of the First Amendment pertaining to freedom of expression: “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people … to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
In other words, Americans have the right to speak, publish, and even criticize the government.
The Georgia Constitution reinforces this by stating: “No law shall be passed to curtail or restrain the freedom of speech or of the press.”
These rights are the foundation on which a free, open and democratic society is built. We are extremely fortunate that the founders put these rights in both the federal and state constitutions, and that we as a society have chosen to live by the rule of law implicit in these rights for more than two centuries. Most nations in the world have no such law, nor any such tradition.
That’s where media and technological literacy starts—with freedom. What’s next is knowing how information is circulated in society—by legacy media like newspapers, magazines, radio, and television; and now by the internet on our smartphones. Traditionally, the role of who decided what we should know was limited to a number of public gatekeepers—the editors of major newspapers and wire services; television news producers, anchors and reporters; key public figures, especially the heads of government, such as the president, but also major figures in business and other major institutions. Public opinion, while a less concrete or tangible force, also played a key role as gatekeeper.
Today, those gatekeepers have ceded much of their power to individual consumers, who now are self-gatekeepers—choosing what information they want to process and share within their circle of family, friends, professional peers, and other acquaintances.
However, most of us do not check where the information comes from and whether it comes from a reliable source. While there are more avenues from which to get information than ever before, the truth is that most of us choose to share the same fonts of wisdom and ignorance in a fairly consistent and even tribal manner. This is the echo chamber that social media has created, whereby we allow ourselves to be connected with people who think and act like we do, thus foregoing any challenges to our own biases.
I still believe we should start each day with a review of the news. I recommend the Associated Press, either its website or by downloading its app. The AP is not a newspaper, radio station or television station. That is to say, the AP does not have an opinion page or a producer who spouts her/his or the station’s view of the events of the day. The AP is based on reporting and the sharing of the reported information.
From there, I would advise one to read the best available news site in your area. Georgia’s proud newspaper tradition, like much of the country’s newspaper legacy, has taken a significant hit in the last decade. The Augusta Chronicle, a mighty journalistic fortress for more than two centuries, has been reduced nearly to ghost paper status by its corporate owners. No longer having the Morris family own the Chronicle means that the newsroom and sports department have been reduced to a very thin fourth estate in Augusta.
Evaluate any news in the following way: (1) Who published the information? Was it a credible publisher? (2) What is the intent of the information? Is it designed to inform or persuade? (3) What points of view are represented? If it is a single point of view, then it is biased. (4) What is the level of factuality in the article? That is, does the piece contain a high level of specific information, as opposed to generalizations and impressions.
At the same time, we must also understand the grip that Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media have upon on us as consumers and citizens. Social media has opened a Pandora’s box of ills. Now in the third decade of the 21st century, the virtues of the internet look relatively insignificant. We see in the docu-drama “The Social Dilemma” (Netflix is currently streaming it for free on YouTube) that the bottom line for the giant tech companies is the monetization of our personal information for advertising.
The glorious and idealistic days of the internet in the 1990s when we believed this great invention was a force for good—the sharing of vast quantities of information in a democracy that eliminated gatekeepers who may not have had out best interests in mind—have given way to the lowest common denominator, and we are all hooked on our smartphones like drug addicts. Thus, when we are on Facebook and we are getting disinformation or incomplete information from friends and relatives around the world, we are also giving away who we are, and algorithms then determine how best to frame information to fulfill our consumer wants and needs. Thus, we cannot escape the pop-up ads that know us better than we know ourselves.
This is what we must understand today when it comes to media and technological literacy. What seems to drive all social media is our addiction to the device and app, and then the gaining of information about each of us for a consumption-based commercial system that is wildly successful—in a way that makes allother money-making extravaganzas in human history, including the remarkable profits from fossil fuels, seem like child’s play. We are the addicts; Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon and the rest are the dealers—and the gargantuan winners.
We are OK with this state of affairs because the dopamine makes us feel good, even if only for a few moments. Yet, we shouldn’t be. Our smartphones isolate us, which breaks down community, meaning we are less likely to talk to people who are not in our socioeconomic and cultural tribe. We would rather skate on our smartphones than interact with our children or spouses. We can’t let go. We are so psychological dependent on this device that it has become our second brain.
We need to be aware of what these Big Tech devices do to us, and we should adjust accordingly. Use them carefully, wisely. Determine the quality of the information; determine its source.
Now what is Facebook called again? Meta? I guess you could Google it.
David Bulla is a professor of Communication at Augusta University. He has authored seven books, including two about Abraham Lincoln and the press in the Civil War.
