Digital Literacy in the Age of Social Media View Digital Media

Workshop Presentation
Brandon Golob  

College-aged students are the most frequent users of social media. Although they are likely aware of the personal consequences of misusing social media, they often have a limited understanding of the laws surrounding their social media usage. From privacy rights to defamation issues to copyright infringement, social media has a robust legal landscape that its users must regularly navigate. Not being able to do so can have drastic consequences – social media postings have caused people to disseminate misinformation, lose their jobs, and even face criminal charges. Thus, I create pedagogical tools that help students refine their digital literacy skills. This workshop introduces an interactive, online tool that blends traditional scholarship, internet archives, and videos to teach students about the contemporary issues raised by social media (e.g., free speech debates, fake news).