How Finland Is Teaching a Generation to Spot Misinformation

For me, a large part of learning to sift through misinformation is ability and patience to read and comprehend long time consuming often dry content.

The people who can do that are going to be least likely to be victims of misinformation because a headline or a tweet isn't going to alter their opinions. A very long dry nuanced article might. And it's harder to spread misinformation in long article form than click bait or tweet form.


Hence why with the current political rhetoric coming from the right and conservatives in general now in regards to non technical higher education in things like social sciences and literature is going to lead and possibly already has led to one end of the political spectrum being significantly more prone to misinformation than the other.

Those blue haired woke feminists who are in graduate social science programs at the very least for half a decade were reading long dry nuanced text and writing their thoughts on it which practices their literacy patience and their introspective skills. Two things that combat being prone to misinformation.

 

"I can see Russia from my house!" - Finished head of state.

 

Certainly valuable knowledge to possess and it enables and enhances future learning.

 

"misinformation" is a fighting word

 

The Republicans will block this because they don't want an educated populace.....smart people reject their bigotry.

DD

 

Critical thinking skills happens to fight misinformation? Wow, who would have thunk it

 

Republicans of Finland?

 

It’s only critical thinking if you’re teaching what I already believe in or agree with. Otherwise it’s indoctrination/grooming.

-Republicans

 

If I say 2 + 2 is 5, is it not misinformation?

Teaching media literacy could be done in a manner that is a trap, or it could be done in a way that helps prevent traps, it all depends on the execution.

 

We could have really used this at the beginning of the pandemic when we were told mask's are useless.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a33547137/why-some-people-think-2-plus-2-equals-5/

 

It's incorrect math, but there are obviously tons and tons and tons of examples where things aren't as clear cut. There is always a danger that people label what they don't like/don't agree with as "misinformation" and then try to mute/silence dissenting voices.

Let people figure it out for themselves?

 

Curious. What are your thoughts on the Berne trial in the 1930s. Do you think the Jews were authoritarian for wanting the government to step in and ban a piece of literature (Protocols of the Elders of Zion)?

Actually I'm curious to find @Os Trigonum thoughts on this also as someone who has campaigned for freedom of speech vigorously. Do you think the Jews had an authoritarian mindset when they wanted the government to ban a piece of literature?

I mean it backfired tremendously as all it did was create more propaganda for the Nazis to spread the message that courts allegedly confirmed that the documents aren't fake (when that really wasn't the actual ruling) convincing millions of commoners in Germany and around the world that there actually was a Jewish conspiracy to take over the world.

 

Why is media literacy being taught inherently incompatible with this?

What would be wrong with teaching the term misinformation, just like the word information, correct, false, unknown, and what not....then attempting to give people tools and systems to more effectively "figure it out themselves", as we do with math.


It's all in the execution

 

Not sure who told you that. I remember being told that medical professionals needed them more.

 

You had doctors claiming covid vaccines aren't safe (despite one of the largest human trials in history) but then pushing treatments that haven't gone through trials while hiding that they have a financial stake in those drugs. That's the world we live in now.