2025:Program/Information literacy skills of a conspiracy theorist?... The case for an inclusive approach
Session title: Information literacy skills of a conspiracy theorist?... The case for an inclusive approach
- Session type: Lecture
- Track: Community Engagement
- Language: en
đ„ Session recording: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WIKIMANIA_Day_3_Kisumu_-_Information_Literacy_of_conspiracy_theorists.webm đ„
I present research about information literacy skills which I conducted in 2023/24. As our work as Wikimedians and educators becomes more important (within a world of contested facts), it's important to reflect deeply how we talk about information literacy, and about those who we perceive as not engaging with factual information.
I investigated information literacy skills of conspiracy theories followers. It was an exploration of how emotion shows up in critical thinking, and how, if not included in information literacy education, it can derail the learning process, while also fuelling polarisation.
Are information literacy educators closer than we realise to a conspiracy theorists approach to engaging with information? What follows is a series of questions that aim to be an invitation for reflection on how information literacy and critical thinking is taught.
Description
The starting point of this presentation was an observation - the narrative around building media literacy skills sounds very similar to how conspiracy theorists talk about their approach to research (Check sources, donât immediately trust what you see, connect the dots, think about who funded the information, do your own research, etc). This offers a chance to reflect: Are media literacy educators closer than we realise to the conspiracy theorists approach to engaging with information? If so, shouldnât educators examine why we speak in a dismissive way about conspiracists?
I present research conducted in 2023/24, which concluded in a recommendation to introduce a social and emotional layer within teaching media literacy. This is particularly useful to Wikimedians working within communities and institutions, as they commonly have more scope to experiment within education, and have a more interdisciplinary approach. We believe this is key within our proposed approach. The presentation also outlines avenues in which non formal educational spaces can create an inviting, non judgmental and safe learning environment.
Further, conspiracists do engage with emotions skillfully. Within Wikimedia, we focus on analytical, intellectual ways of processing information and fighting misinformation. This presentation invites reflection on how we should include an emotional layer in education efforts.
The audience, especially actors working in media literacy education, will reflect on their educational approaches and consider what we can learn from conspiracy theorists in the delivery of literacy education. The audience will be invited to adapt their language and approaches towards conspiracists, and will receive ideas on how to adapt their teaching on media literacy.
Wikimedians are a key audience in our call to action, because theyâre often the facilitators of educatorsâ work, or are themselves educators. For increased inclusion and broad outreach of our work, we should be mindful of the narratives we use when talking about information.
- How does your session relate to the event theme, Wikimania@20 â Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
My talk shows how we can create more polarisation by talking dismissively about people we perceive to be lacking information literacy skills. It's an invitation to consider inclusivity in language when we frame events and our work in general.
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
Everyone can participate in this session
Resources
Speakers
- Daria Cybulska
- Daria is the Director of Programmes and Evaluation at Wikimedia UK, leading programmes and advocacy for knowledge equity and information literacy. In that broad role she designs projects and partnerships for Knowledge Equity via bringing diverse people and content onto Wikimedia projects. She also shapes how Wikimedia UK can support a democratic and empowered society in the UK by developing information literacy skills.
- Daria is a trustee at Global Dialogue, a platform for human rights philanthropy, and has recently been awarded a Churchill Fellowship in the Tech for All category, investigating Central Asiaâs online civil society and its resilience responses to a shrinking civic space.