IMI expert: Propaganda influences young people through social media

Social media are the primary source of disinformation and manipulative information and the Russian propaganda on these platforms influences young people, which is especially dangerous in wartime, said Olena Holub, an analyst at the Institute of Mass Information, on February 26 during the masterclass in media literacy for young people "Marolip".

During the class, the expert spoke about the importance of media literacy and information hygiene in times of war. Olena Holub gave the audience gamified tasks to convey the importance of critical thinking when analyzing media content.

Olena Holub giving a class in media literacy for young people, February 26, Kyiv, photo by the Kyiv Youth Center

The media expert also reviewed the most popular sources of information and assessed their reliability. Olena introduced the participants to the lists of quality media outlets (the High Quality List and the Recommended Media Map) that can be used to verify information.

The expert also introduced the audience to methods of manipulating public opinion and propaganda, such as the “Rotten Herring” and “40 by 60” tactics.

Media literacy class, February 26, Kyiv, photo by the Kyiv Youth Center

The IMI analyst urged young people to train their critical thinking.

“It is important for young people to train critical thinking and information literacy skills, since right now young people receive most of their information from social media, which carries potential risks. First of all, because social media platforms are the main source of disinformation and manipulative information. And while in the social media environment, young people can fall under the influence of Russian and pro-Russian propaganda, which is especially dangerous in wartime. Because, in addition to kinetic warfare, Russia is particularly actively using information warfare, one of their goals being to influence Ukrainian society,” says Olena Holub.

Media literacy class, February 26, Kyiv, photo by the Kyiv Youth Center

The masterclass took place in Kyiv at the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House and was organized by the Kyiv Youth Center with the support from the Institute of Mass Information and Detector Media.

The Kyiv Youth Center organized the event with the support of the Kyiv City Youth and Sports Department and the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House.

 

 

 

 

 

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