CHAPTER 9
how do people decide who and what to trust?
Learning Outcomes
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Examine the power of trust in social relationships, personal identity, and every aspect of human well-being
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Understand how distrust of media and growing levels of political polarization have a corrosive impact on social institutions and the democratic process
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Evaluate the scope and limits of freedom of expression in relation to authors who disguise their purpose and goals
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Reflect on authority, expertise and authenticity as dimension of social trust that influence marketers exploit
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Consider the consequences of shifting patterns of social trust and mistrust for individuals and society
Decisions to trust or mistrust rely on judgments about authority, expertise, and authenticity
I'M AN ORIGINAL CATCHPHRASE
CREATE TO LEARN
Compose a Memoir
Decisions about trust and mistrust are among the most profound decisions we make in life. Write a
short personal memoir to reflect on a time when you made a decision to trust certain information
or a certain person. A memoir is a highly personal essay that uses a combination of memory and
imagination to tell a brief story that offers insight or value to readers. As you plan your memoir, consider these questions:
• What situation or memory represents a time when you had to make a decision to trust or
mistrust?
• What factors influenced your decision? Was it a good decision? Why or why not?
• What role did communication or media play in your experience with trust or mistrust?
• In general, how have your life experiences and relationships shaped your perspectives on trust
and mistrust?
You can post and share your work to a global community of media literacy learners using the #MLAction hashtag.
FLIPGRID
INQUIRY
REFLECT ON WRITING A MEMOIR ABOUT TRUST AND MISTRUST
Offer a brief summary of the insights you gained after writing your memoir, reflecting on media literacy in relationship to cynicisim, skepticism, and trust.
INTELLECTUAL GRANDPARENT:
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
"Man lives in a world of meaning. What he sees and hears means what he will or might handle."
--George Herbert Mead, 1926
Learn more about how George Herbert Mead influenced a generation of media literacy educators, researchers & activists