Socializing Fake News: Training College Students How to Fact Check Before They Share View Digital Media

Workshop Presentation
Emily Reed  

In this workshop, an academic librarian will discuss how she developed a program targeted for undergraduate students about the pitfalls of sharing fake news stories on social media. Most undergraduates are a part of Generation Z and grew up with access to many different social media platforms; however, they still share misinformation at alarming rates through their social media accounts. One positive aspect is that many college students are quite concerned about the state of rampant misinformation and do not wish to contribute to the spread of fake news. The presenter will share the design of the program, marketing strategies, and feedback collected from participants via an anonymous survey. An extensive resource list compiled by the presenter will also be shared with workshop participants who wish to design a similar program for their constituents. Specific portions of the program that were most impactful to participants will be demonstrated to the audience. During the workshop, the audience will be invited to participate in different media literacy activities that are part of the developed program, such as identifying if a social media account is real or fake, examining current social media misinformation policies and providing feedback about their perceived strength, practice checking claims made online using lateral reading and fact checking websites, and evaluating sources for accuracy and bias.