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Social Media and Misinformation

Student presentation

*Please reference the “notes” section of this presentation for educator notes and important information about external resources used and referenced within this resource

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Social media data and misinformation�call to action introduction

Social media is designed to exchange, share, distribute, and receive information. However, navigating the social media landscape takes time to sift through the enormity of posts and determine the credibility of the source and information. Fact versus fiction, just as evidence versus emotion, is often shaped by the user’s experiences and thus linked to deep-rooted cognitive biases. This brings us to a call for action to not only bring awareness, but also work to reduce the spread of misinformation.
Regardless of whether misinformation is intentional or not, information found on social media can have very real consequences. Social media influencers have dramatic effects on the political landscape, climate change, health concerns, product marketing, and much more. Social media platforms have noted that full-time moderation of all content is a challenge.
Within this student resource guide, you will find useful ways to further your research of social media, activities related to enhancing your understanding of misinformation, ways to collect your own data, tips for data analysis, resources that will guide you in asking thought provoking questions, ideas for how to most effectively represent data, ways to utilize this data to impact your community, and many other valuable resources to help combat the spread of misinformation.

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Further your research

In order to further your research on social media and misinformation, it’s best to first have a solid understanding of the types of misinformation. Select and complete one of the activities below.

Misinformation video lesson	Making sense of data article	Understanding misinformation	Power of influence activity
	Source: News Literacy Project	Source: Business Insider	Google Docs worksheet

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What interests you?

From the list below, select a topic to further explore related to social media and misinformation.

Mental health effects	Social media rumors	Cognitive bias	Imposter content	Native advertising
Vulnerable populations	Data biases	Social media platforms	Health misinformation	Disinformation
Social media influencers	Algorithms that promote content	Manipulation campaigns	Political landscape	Viral content

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Collecting your own data

First,

Scan the QR code.��
Read the article.

Then,

Visit the Social media Jamboard.��

�

Complete the activity on the Social media Jamboard.
Share your findings with your group or class.

Your teacher will provide you with a link to their Jamboard.

https://tinyurl.com/MakingSenseOfDataSixStrategies

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Ask thought-provoking questions

Data can be a powerful tool, if properly understood. An important aspect of data analysis involves the process of asking thought-provoking questions to not only get a better understanding of the data, but also to prompt conversations related to potential interpretation problems.

How does social media influence your daily life?

Directions

Explore the following topics by clicking on each of the article links.

Understanding complications with data collection

Sample selection and data collection

Data analysis techniques

What is data analysis?
How to interpret data?
Why data interpretation is important?
Data analysis & interpretation problems
Data interpretation techniques & methods

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Data analysis

“Numbers don’t lie” is a phrase we often hear to support the idea that something must be true if you can cite data or statistics about it. But even accurate numbers can paint a misleading picture, particularly if people don’t know what to look for. Several common ways to report metrics and statistics can easily mislead readers. Let’s explore how statistics can be misinterpreted.

Directions

Scan each QR code and explore the article.
Collect your own data on the topic you selected.
Visit the Social Media Jamboard.

��

Complete the activity on the Social media Jamboard beginning on slide 8.
Share your findings with your group or class.

Your teacher will provide you with a link to their Jamboard.

Exploring s tatistics in media

https://tinyurl.com/MakingSenseOfData�InMedia

Misleading statistics examples

https://tinyurl.com/MisleadingStatisticsExamples

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Representing data

Explore the following strategies by clicking on each additional article link.
Which do you prefer to use when reading data: charts, graphs, or infographics? Why?

Diving into charts and graphs

(News Literacy Project)

Special look at issues with infographics

(News Literacy Project)

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Use data to impact your community

Explore the following strategy by clicking on the article link. Then, write a six-word story.

Spotlight on data in �social media

Six-word story

__ __ __ __ __ __.

If you could change one thing in your community, what would it be?

Write your thoughts in a six-word story.
Share your stories with the class.
Discuss how you could use social media to jumpstart the change.

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Extensions: select an activity of your choice

I love movies!	I love to explore!	I love AI!	I love discussing!
Watch “The Social Dilemma”	Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4	Use of artificial intelligence for creating misinformation	The effects of misinformation on the political landscape
I love deciphering fact from fiction!	I love to research and analyze!	I love to debate!	I love journaling!
Viral rumor rundown	Ethnic and cultural biases related to social media	The concept of digital spying—creepy or harmless?	Daily Journaling of Social Media Experiences

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Links to other assets and resources

Discover Data: https://www.discoverdatainschool.org/
Data Classroom: https://about.dataclassroom.com/
Checkology: https://get.checkology.org/
Explore data driven careers: https://www.discoverdatainschool.org/career-profiles/
The Social Dilemma: Take Action: https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/take-action/

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Appendix resources

Scan the QR code to access and use the following resource handouts to strengthen your understanding.

Understanding misinformation activity
Power of influence
Social media journaling

https://tinyurl.com/NFSocialMedia

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