Contents
Goals
- Reflection on one's own use of media for information purposes
- Understanding how socio-political information and democracy are connected.
- Basic understanding of the regulatory requirements of the media ecosystem of the future
Steps
Preparation and introduction
Facilitators print out the templates 1-3.
Everyone uses the media to find out about social and political issues. Map out your media landscape: the sources through which you receive and share social and societal information.
- Print,
- Online presence of “press” and online news services,
- Radio, TV, Online presence of public broadcasters,
- Multimedia content platforms, social networks
- …
How I inform myself
Please make notes on the handout pages:
- How important is this type of media to you?
- Which medium specifically?
- How often do you use it? What topics and issues interest you?
In a different color, shortly describe the most relevant media habit of your parents. Finally, rank the source types in order of importance to you.
Exchange
Hold an exchange in small groups or in the plenary, focusing on similarities and differences.
- Are you representing different types of media consumers?
- What do you have in common?
- Which media types and particular services are crucial for your social and political information?
- How about your parents? Do they have different habits to you?
Transfer
Facilitator summarises the shared contributions. They present the data on
- page 4 of the template or hand out the fourth page. Ask participants to present the findings in their words.
- Do you have questions to the data from 2024?
- Do statistics tell the truth about you?
- 58 % say that important news will somehow find them. Could you give examples?
- Do you know a case where this did not work out? Explain.
Make the connection to the socially relevant dimension:
- How do disinformation and hate speech affect your access to and attitude to relevant, trustworthy socio-political information?
- The task informed us about services that are highly relevant to us. What can individuals, society and politics do to ensure they can continue to work in an appropriate manner and contribute to a democratic infosphere?
- Specifically: How should independent journalists do their job in future, and who should pay them?
Reflection
The media landscape is undergoing radical change. How does this manifest itself between you and your parents?
- Overall, how satisfied are you with the media ecosystem?
- Who needs to have a stronger presence? Who should be more heavily regulated?
- When you think about disinformation and misinformation, what can you do as an individual?
- What needs to be urgently resolved at other levels? By whom?
Explanatory Data
The following empirical data may support reflection and transfer. For more information, you can also consult the freely available sources:
References
European Union (2024). European Parliament Eurobarometer. Youth Survey 2024. FL013EP DGCOMM https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3392 , accessed 24/03/2025
Eurostat: Evaluating data, information and digital content (2021 onwards)” Online data code: isoc_sk_edic_i21 https://doi.org/10.2908/ISOC_SK_EDIC_I21
Gagrčin, E., Schaetz, N., Rakowski, N., Toth, R., Renz, A., Vladova, G., & Emmer, M. (2021). We and AI - Living in a Datafied World: Experiences & Attitudes of Young Europeans. Weizenbaum Institute; Goethe-Institut. https://doi.org/10.34669/WI/1
Handbook: More than Go with the Flow
- A handbook on Digital Citizenship Education, created in the frame of the project DIYW-ROAD/Competendo. Digital Youth Work - rights-sensitive, open, accessible, democratic.
- Unless otherwise stated, authors and editors of the methods published in the project are Elisa Rapetti, Markus José Plasencia Kanzler, and Nils-Eyk Zimmermann
