DISINFORMATION AND MEDIA LITERACY

Abstract

Media literacy is the area of ​​research associated with academic debate and social intervention that incorporates elements of media literacy, aiming to stimulate critical thinking. Its objective is to offer reflections and instruments so that citizens can interpret and produce information and knowledge in a critical and ethical way. This research aims to evaluate the literacy levels of a group of students and teachers from Minas Gerais (MG). An online multiple-choice questionnaire was used for data collection. Significant correlations were found between media literacy and Fake News, “reliable source” and “reliable information”. The preferred media were X-Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Regarding the identification of fake news, scientific topics, such as vaccination, climate change and the greenhouse effect were most prominent. The questions raised in this research relate to the importance of media literacy, not only as an antidote to the Fake News virus, but as a way to develop critical thinking in students and teachers. This means that critical media education goes beyond mere training in Information and Communication Technologies, involving the identification of false content, the evaluation of biased news and the reliability of information disseminated on social networks.