By Renee Hobbs
Media Literacy IN ACTION
Questioning the Media
2nd
Edition
CHAPTER 11
Are social media free?
Learning Outcomes
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Gain knowledge about why and how people freely share photos, information, and aspects of their personal identity using a variety of social media platform
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Understand how creativity is legally protected through copyright law and consider the balance of power between creatos and users
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Examine how social media companies harvest, use, and profit from monitoring the behavior of users
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Understand how companies protect people from harmful content and how the internet is being regulated to protect people's privacy and security
Social media platforms profit from users who create and share content
MEDIA LITERACY LEARNING MODEL
KEY IDEAS FROM CHAPTER 11​​​​​​
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By participating in online social networks as a creator and consumer, people express their identity and social values. They develop social relationships that can be deeply satisfying and productive for work, life, and citizenship.
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Creative work in combinatorial: people build upon the contributions of other creators when they compose media messages. Copyright law changes in response to changes in technology and society; it gives long and strong protection to authors because its purpose is to promote creativity, innovation, and the spread of knowledge.
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Users have rights, too. People can use the copyrighted materials of others in their own creative work (without payment or permission) if they meet the transformative fair use use standard. User rights ensure that copyright law can never become a means of stifling freedom of expression.
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Digital platforms collect and sell the very granular data that users produce with every swipe and click because it is a form of data surveillance that can be effective in predicting people’s behavior. European regulators have been most effective in creating regulations that promote tech innovation while protecting consumer privacy rights but concerns about privacy can also be leveraged as a political tool by those in power.
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People freely share all kinds of crazy things online because they experience online disinhibition, and more and more, they are migrating to peer-to-peer platforms to interact with others
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Content moderation practices are used to protect people from harmful content, but the internet would be a safer, freer place if people applied an ethics of care to all aspects of their communication behavior online.​
THE INSANE STORY OF WHATS APP
I'M AN ORIGINAL CATCHPHRASE
Make the Familiar Strange
In this creative writing activity, try to offer a brief description of one form of social media that you use.
Write your description as if you were explaining it to a space alien. Assume your reader knows nothing about social media and even less about human beings and our strange ways of interacting and communicating.
This kind of playful creative writing enables defamiliarization, which is a way to heighten awareness by taking something familiar and making it seem strange. You can post using the #MLAction hashtag to share your work with a global community of media literacy learners.
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REFLECT ON WHAT GOOGLE
KNOWS ABOUT YOU
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Visit the Google Privacy Center:
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Consider these questions as you explore:
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• What does the platform think your interests are? How accurate is it?
• How does the platform profile you based on the content you have clicked on?
• How accurate is the platform’s profile?
Social media platforms show ads to your friends based on actions you have taken, such as liking a page or sharing a post.
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• Which ads did your friends see because of your actions?
• What are some potential long-term benefits and limitations of digital platforms personalizing content for you?
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Click on Join the Conversation to contribute your ideas in a brief oral presentation.
TAKE A PRIVACY CHECKUP​​​
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Take a look at one of the social media platforms that you use most and “go under the hood” to see what they know about you. On TikTok, privacy settings can be found under Safety. On Twitch, find the security settings by clicking your profile picture and then selecting Security and Privacy. On Instagram, this can be found under Privacy and Security, View Account Data. On Facebook, this can be found under General Account Settings. Examine the choices that are offered to you. Can you:
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Choose who can contact you?
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Control your personal information?
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Add more privacy to your chats?
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Add more protection to your account?
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Choose whether algorithmic personalization is used to display content?
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Choose whether personalization is used to display ads?
Make any adjustments or none at all. But take the time to reflect on your choices.​​
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Learn more about how Danah Boyd influenced media literacy educators, researchers & activists
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DANA BOYD
"In a world where information is easily available, strong personal networks and access to helpful people often matter more than access to the information itself.”
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--Dana Boyd, 2018
