MEDIA & INFORMATION LITERACY

Week 9 - OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION

Media and information presents great opportunities in various

sectors in our society;

The media and information can

function to strengthen and enrich the
connection between citizens and
intermediary organization including
political parties, social movement, as
well as the economy.

1. Economy- Economic actors

need accurate and timely information
to allocate resources efficiently,
investors and other groups increasing
value and demand a governance-
monitoring role from the media. A
free and independent press can
provide information and monitoring
to the economic policy development
process leading to more effective economic policies. It can also reduce political risk and increase
good governance- conditions that are important for robust economic development. Media
improves the efficiency of the economy by providing actors more and better information with
which make decisions and improving stability.

- Media enhances political coordination in the development of sound economic policy

Media sector development can reduce political risk, increasing stability for higher- risk countries.

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2. Education- Mass media are the educational medium for the mass education. It is estimated
that mass media may substitute the real classroom teaching in the future. (Mathtinik)

3. Social- Social Media in general include all means of mass communication that are used by
the public in general to interact with the rest of the society.

ex: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Google+

4. Political- Social media have rapidly increased in importance as a forum for political
activism in its different forms. Social media platforms provide new ways to encourage citizen's
engagement in political life where elections and electoral campaigns have a central role.

5. News around the clock- One of the ways that social media has transformed politics is the
sheer speed at which news, poll results and rumors are shared. Whereas in the pre-internet days,
people had to wait for the next newspaper or TV news show to get the latest information, online
news is a 24/7 phenomenon. Social media has taken this a step further. While you can access
news on many websites at any hour, most people spend more time on sites such as Facebook and
Twitter than they do on serious news or political websites. This means that you get all of the
latest trending news stories and opinions shared by your friends whenever you log on.

6. The impact of polls- As with other types of political news, the internet has greatly
increased the number of poll result as we see each day. Social media has accelerated this even
more. Not only do social media sites report the results of polls, you can actually participate in
Facebook polls.

7. Direct Interaction with Politicians- One of the positive effects that social media has
on politics is the opportunity for voters to interact more easily with candidates and elected
officials. Traditionally, if you wanted to meet a politician or candidate, you’d have to attend a
live event. Not everyone is able to do this. With modern technology, it’s now possible to attend
virtual events where you can participate in live streaming events and interact with politicians and
candidates.

8. Demographics and Targeting- Targeting is used throughout the advertising industry to

make sure that ads and messages reach the right audience. Politicians do this as well. In the age
of social media, politicians and people running for office are able to target their campaigns. If a
candidate wants to address the concerns of women, college students, retired people, Latinos or
any other group of voters, they can now tailor their messages. Just as advertisers on Facebook,
they are able to use analytics and targeted advertising, so can candidates and politicians. Thus, if
you notice that political messages seem to be talking to you personally, this is no accident.

However, despite the opportunities it offers, it cannot be denied that the media also give
challenges to its users such as:

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CHALLENGES OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION

1. Illegal Content
It’s any type of content that could be damaging to young people, including: real or simulated
violence sexually explicit content illegal images of child sexual abuse content promoting hate
based on race, religion or sexual preference content instructing or promoting crime or violence
content promoting violent extremism content that advocates unsafe behavior like extreme dieting
or drug taking the use of a computer as an instrument to further illegal ends.

2. Cybercrime
A criminal activity or crime that involved the internet, computer system or a computer
technology.

3. Copyright Infringement
It is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission, infringing certain exclusive
rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or
perform the protected work, or to make derivative works.

4. Identity Theft
It is the deliberate use of someone else's identity, usually as a method to gain a financial
advantage or obtain credit and other benefits in the other person's name, and perhaps to the other
persons’ disadvantage or loss.

THREATS OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION

1. Customer scams

2. Watering Hole Phishing & Malware

3. Information Leakage

4. Hashtag/ Traffic hijacking

5. Account Takeover

RISKS OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION

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There are benefits as well as risks in using social media. Recognizing these risks is the first step
in man

1. Anything you do can be seen by other people. Every activity we do online creates a digital
footprint so, think before you click!

2. Keep the negativity to yourself. (Do not insinuate a flamewar.)

3. Don't post sexual, religious, political and graphic materials,

4. Never fight with anyone in social networking sites aging them.

ABUSES OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION

1. Hacking other's account

2. Accessing someone's email,

3. Identity Theft

4. Cyber bullying

5. Creating a Fake Account

(Some of these issues were discussed in the webinar. I hope you were able to learn from the
presentations of the reporters and that may you be able to apply those learning in reality.)

MISUSE OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION

Nowadays, media is being misused, not only by the staff of the office, but almost a of the
people in the world.

Social media is a great communication tool to help businesses connect with their customers all
over the world. However, if social media are misused, one's business could be at risk of losing
customers, gaining a bad reputation, losing sales, getting your account banned or even legal
action.

POWERS OF MEDIA TO AFFECT CHANGE

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Last March 2016, TCC Group published an article by Charles Gaspar, entitled “How media
Affects Social Change” which reports the following: “Media and more importantly its ability to
reach the public and provide commentary has been present ever since the existence of a town
crier. The tradition of oration has evolved to broadsheet, books, radio, television, and now to the
digital age.” In April 2016, the World Economic Forum published an article titled 6 ways social
media is changing the world that discussed six observations and predictions for the way social
media is changing the world from experts from the Global Agenda Council.

 Across industries, social media is going from a “nice to have” to an essential component
of any business strategy.
 Social media platforms may be the banks of the future.
 Social media is shaking up healthcare and public health.
 Social media is changing how we govern and are governed.
 Social media is helping us better respond to disaster.
 Social media is helping us tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges, from human
rights violations.