If a social media post activates strong emotions, simplifies information, appeals to your hopes, fears and dreams, or attacks opponents, it just might be propaganda. What kinds of dispositions, knowledge and skills help people navigate in a world where sponsored content, clickbait, political ads, memes, and disinformation are in widespread circulation, remixed and retransmitted by our friends, neighbors and family? How can library staff model the kind of critical thinking needed to manage the diverse forms of propaganda that are part of everyday life? What instructional strategies around propaganda education can be used with library patrons of all ages? How can digital creation activities by library staff as well as patrons/students help in understanding these persuasive genres? Get answers to these questions this lively media literacy session with Renee Hobbs, author of Mind Over Media: Propaganda Education for a Digital Age.
Renee Hobbs
Professor of Communication Studies and Director, Media Education Lab
Renee Hobbs is an expert on digital and media literacy education and the author of 12 books, including Mind Over Media: Propaganda Education for a Digital Age, winner of the AAP 2021 PROSE Award for Excellence in Social Sciences. Founder and Director of the Media Education Lab at the University of Rhode Island, she co-directs the Graduate Certificate in Digital Literacy, a 12-credit program for educators, librarians and media professionals.
Learn more: www.mediaeducationlab.com