Learning Update 1

Before yesterday's class I watched the Youtube videos covering propaganda and the idea of junk information. In the past I have always thought of propaganda in the context of WWII -- the posters and banners that were used for getting people to join the war. However, stepping back to think of propaganda in the broader sense opened my eyes to see that it is much more than that. Everyday we are constantly exposed to propaganda that is used by the government or even just companies that are trying to elicit an emotional response from consumers. In the future I want to evaluate messages more critically instead of believing propaganda is a thing of the past. 

Moreover, I found the video by Yuval Noah Harari enlightening. Harari made a strong case for taking junk information cleanses, however, the video itself was anxiety-inducing (I don't like to think that the world is doomed to end due to an Alien Intelligence takeover). I stopped watching the news around COVID-19 time, because, like you mentioned in class, it became too upsetting to watch. What worries me about future generations though is many younger citizens primarily get their news through social media such as TikTok or Instagram. It has become very normalized for small news outlets or even political candidates to get on social media and post stories that don't examine the whole truth. I take most things I see on social media with a grain of salt, but the people who take these messages and run with them are creating chaos that spreads quickly online. I am excited for this semester to dive deeper into these ideas and hopefully gain more media literacy for my future as a responsible citizen.