TikTok fears point to larger problem: Poor media literacy in the social media age

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The U.S. government moved closer to banning the video social media app TikTok after the House of Representatives attached the measure to an emergency spending bill on Apr.

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The Conversation

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https://theconversation.com/tiktok-fears-point-to-larger-problem-poor-media-literacy-in-the-social-media-age-226667

Retrieved on:

Friday, April 19, 2024

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Geotags:

CHINA, UNITED STATES

Summary

Key Points:

The U.S. government moved closer to banning the video social media app TikTok after the House of Representatives attached the measure to an emergency spending bill on Apr.
The move could improve the bill’s chances in the Senate, and President Joe Biden has indicated that he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
The bill would force ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, to either sell its American holdings to a U.S. company or face a ban in the country.
For one, ByteDance can be required to assist the Chinese Communist Party in gathering intelligence, according to the Chinese National Intelligence Law.
The fact that China, a country that Americans criticize for its authoritarian practices, bans social media platforms is hardly a reason for the U.S. to do the same.
Here’s why I think the recent move against TikTok misses the larger point: Americans’ sources of information have declined in quality and the problem goes beyond any one social media platform.

The deeper problem

But the proposed solution of switching to American ownership of the app ignores an even more fundamental threat.
The deeper problem is not that the Chinese government can easily manipulate content on the app.
It is, rather, that people think it is OK to get their news from social media in the first place.
In other words, the real national security vulnerability is that people have acquiesced to informing themselves through social media.

Media and technology literacy

Research suggests that it will only be alleviated by inculcating media and technology literacy habits from an early age.
My colleagues and I have just launched a pilot program to boost digital media literacy with the Boston Mayor’s Youth Council.
Some of these measures to boost media and technology literacy might not be popular among tech users and tech companies.

The Applied Ethics Center at UMass Boston receives funding from the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. Nir Eisikovits serves as the data ethics advisor to Hour25AI, a startup dedicated to reducing digital distractions.