Basic media literacy tips for witches & pagans
How to critically think about information - and what questions to ask yourself - before you share that link or social media post.
Hi, witches!
It’s been a while since my last full post. I just crawled out of a deep, dark depression hole where I hunkered down through much of April and May.
But I’m back, babyyyyy! And before we dive into media literacy, I want to officially announce the companion podcast to this newsletter that is launching in August.
“The Light of Day Podcast” will dive even deeper into aspects of fact checking, debunking misinformation, and honing critical thinking and media literacy skills for witches and pagans.
Most episodes will feature interviews with various folks in our community on all kinds of topics relating to those subjects. I’ll be dropping a trailer next month, then an introductory episode in August. So if you have any topic or guest suggestions, let me know!
Now onto the point of today’s post.
A while back, I did a presentation on “truth seeking” for the Critical Thinking Witch Collective. I wanted to tweak the media literacy aspect of that and add to it in a format that’s a lot easier to read than a slideshow.
So let’s break down some of the most common things that trip people up, or that they forget to do, when it comes to verifying information and sources:
Have a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to information found on social media (especially WitchTok), blogs, self-published books (or even professionally published books) that do not cite their sources. Not all uncited information is untrue, of course, but this can be a red flag.
Who’s posting the information? Are they a known expert in their field or have lived experience? Someone who has been a practicing witch for years or decades does not necessarily mean they’re an educated or knowledgeable subject matter expert. Is this a credible news source, or peer-reviewed scientific or academic journal?
What does this person or organization have to gain by spreading misinformation or disinformation? Are they making money off this? Are they sharing rage bait to boost engagement?
Does the article, social media post, infographic, or information in ANY form provoke a strong emotional reaction? You’re vulnerable to share misinformation when you’re upset or angry. Disinformers know this, and will often create misleading content to trigger emotions. Rage bait posts on social media also garner a lot of engagement, which makes it easier for creators and influences to monetize content.
Is the information presented via a meme? Memes are one of the most common sources of misinformation.
Check the date. Our understanding of the world changes and evolves with new information so an old article might be inaccurate.
Start with a cursory search engine search of any information before you share it, and ignore the AI overview at the top, which has been known to be inaccurate. Is anyone talking about this? What are they saying? Have any legitimate news organizations, either traditional or ones geared toward witches and pagans Iike the Wild Hunt, posted about this?
Was the information provided by generative AI? Asking questions of programs like ChatGPT can lead to misinformation being generated. ChatGPT is NOT a search engine. It is not scanning the web for accurate information and sorting out falsities from truth. It is generating statistically likely answers based on the information it has been trained on. It’s been known to “hallucinate” scenarios and information.
Was the news article or information copied and pasted onto social media? Or shared via a screenshot without the source’s name and a link back to the original content?
If this person shares incorrect information, are they: 1. Willing to be fact checked and proven wrong and 2. Correcting the information on the inaccurate post and/or making a note of what was wrong? Professional journalists, researchers, and various other experts are fallible and make mistakes. Being willing to be held up for examination, and to admit fault, makes me more likely to trust their information in the future.
I hope these questions and tips help you more thoroughly vet information before you share it on your feed. Having a healthy dose of skepticism, even from sources, journalists, witches and pagans you generally trust, goes a long way toward not contributing to the flood of misinformation floating around on the internet.
Thank you so much for reading, and don’t hesitate to reach out to me with questions or newsletter/podcast pitches! For those of you in hurricane-prone areas like me, have a safe hurricane season. And a very happy upcoming summer and winter solstice for those in both hemispheres.
<3 Day
