by Linda Mork
Quick Summary
Join us as we go through the free, self-paced Media Landscapes: 23 Things curriculum this summer! You can start at the beginning, or hop on any time. This week, we are on Thing 3: Propaganda: Making Media Great Again.
Propaganda: Making Media Great Again
If you have been following along with us as we go through the 23 Things curriculum this summer, you've learned about the concepts of information and digital literacy in Thing 1 and explored Google searching basics in Thing 2. Next, we will spend some time thinking about propaganda in Thing 3.
Propaganda is the attempt to influence a person through imagery, words, and other media to induce a response. The response can be emotional, or it can create a desire for action, but the primary goal is to create a response. When hearing the word propaganda, most think of the negative connotations, evoked by WWII imagery or political ads, but propaganda is also used positively to underscore a message or theme in today’s media. It's probably even being used in your own library!
If you missed it or would like to watch again, be sure to check out the lively and thought-provoking Media Landscapes webinar by Renee Hobbs of the Media Education Lab. You can access both the recording of her presentation and her slides.
Let's work through Thing 3 and consider the following questions this week:
- What instructional strategies around propaganda education can be used with library patrons of all ages?
- How can library staff model the kind of critical thinking needed to manage the diverse forms of propaganda that are part of everyday life?
