New analysis from Western Sydney College reveals that media literacy in Australia will not be holding tempo with the fast developments in AI, with people feeling weak and in danger, probably creating a brand new divide throughout society.
The Digital Information Report: Australia 2024 reveals that solely 26% of Australians belief information and 18% categorical belief in information from social media platforms. This can be a consequence of the rising ranges of disinformation permeating these media platforms, per the analysis.
Whereas mistrust is excessive, the report additionally highlights that the power to evaluate media content material critically has not considerably improved in recent times.
The sluggish progress in media literacy is especially regarding given the power of generative AI instruments to provide high-quality deepfakes and disinformation, in response to the college’s affiliate professor, Tanya Notley.
“AI definitely makes media literacy extra difficult as a result of the expectation is that it is getting tougher and tougher to establish the place AI has been used, she mentioned. “It is going for use in additional refined methods to control individuals with disinformation, and we are able to already see that occuring.”
Combatting this requires regulation, Notley mentioned, and that is taking place slowly, as seen lately within the U.S. with the Senate lately passing a invoice to outlaw pornographic deepfakes.
Nonetheless, schooling to assist people establish probably dangerous, AI-generated materials can also be important. The priority is a rising social division over who can develop the power to develop into literate with AI-generated materials, Notley mentioned.
Youthful Australians aged 18-29 present a stronger correlation with larger media literacy expertise. These engaged in larger schooling or digital-savvy jobs additionally are typically extra conscious of how AI will be utilized and its potential pitfalls.
Older generations—these with low ranges of schooling and people in low socio-economic environments—are a lot much less more likely to have the power to develop media literacy.
Notley mentioned she was “involved” with the implications of a rising hole between those that are geared up to navigate the digital panorama and people who will not be, particularly given the dearth of a centered program to handle the hole in Australia.
“Australia is one of some laggard superior democracies now that has no nationwide technique. A nationwide technique for media literacy would offer clear targets and funding to enhance these expertise throughout the inhabitants,” she mentioned.
To deal with these challenges, the report suggests media literacy efforts must be extra accessible and interesting, notably for adults.
On-line platforms, the place misinformation usually proliferates, have to play a job in selling media literacy.
Moreover, leveraging Australia’s public cultural establishments, equivalent to public broadcasters and nationwide libraries, may assist attain a broader viewers and construct belief in media literacy initiatives.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
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