Evan van Breemen's Blog

  Media literacy is a word thrown around a lot on online spaces. While people seem to have an instinctive understanding of it, they also very easily misunderstand and misuse the term. To me, media literacy is about being critical of the media landscape that surrounds you. It is about taking a step back and thinking about the media that you consume. This includes identifying what types of media you consume, where that media comes from, how much you trust that media, and how that media affects you and the decisions you make. Because of this, I resonated with Renee Hobbs’ 5 competencies, which, according to Hobbs, are “ the essential dimensions of digital and media literacy” (Media Education Lab).  Source Hobbs describes the following competencies: Access : "finding and sharing appropriate and relevant information using media texts and technology tools.” Analyze : "using critical thinking to analyze message purpose, target audience, quality, veracity, credibility, point of view,...

The Government's Role This week has helped me develop my thoughts on the role of government in society, especially social media. Over the past year, I do feel my political beliefs have been shaped by studying librarianship. Overall, I believe that the main role of government is to serve its citizens by providing public services and protecting their rights, safety, and privacy. This goal should extend to the internet as well. Social media is increasingly becoming more entangled with the real world, and the government should be working to create laws regarding its use and protecting the people who use it. A great example of protecting people’s rights on the internet can be found in the case of Levy vs Mahoney , where the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the student, protecting her ability to express herself online, even if that is in a hostile manner. These are situations where the government is important. COPPA The government has also worked to implement laws and regulations to...