Paradoxes of Media and Information Literacy: The Crisis of Information was written in 2022 by Jutta Haider, Professor at the Swedish School of Library and Information Science - University in Borås and Olof Sundin, Professor of Information Studies at Lund University in Sweden. The book analyzes how media and information literacy can assist in the current crisis of information. Haider and Sundin begin with an introduction on this crisis stating that information is becoming more individualized based on a person’s interests, who they follow, and who they interact with (2022, p. 4). The algorithms of artificial intelligence can tap into this information to recommend and favor content that will be re-shared and/or interacted with while ignoring whether the information is factual or accurate (Haider and Sundin, 2022, p. 7). Emotional and engaging content is more important to social media companies because it will be continually shared leading to more profits. On top of this, people are questioning their trust in institutions and leaders as more mis- and dis- information becomes more prevalent.
Haider & Sundin then go on to define and describe media and information literacy. Information literacy supports “people’s knowledge, competencies, and resources in order to enable their proficient engagement with information, including finding, evaluating, producing, and communicating situated information” (Haider & Sundin, 2022, p. 11). Media literacy “focuses on production, circulation, access, and meaning” (Haider & Sundin, 2022, p. 12). The next five chapters present five paradoxes or “zones of contradictions” necessary to navigate to achieve media and information literacy. Haider & Sundin based their book on research conducted through several interviews with young adults and parents while asking questions about their search behaviors and beliefs about algorithms & literacy. In addition, they analyzed data acquired through Google Search and Google Trends. Their theories are also backed up by hundreds of peer-reviewed articles to strengthen their arguments and further the discussion.
The first paradox presented places the responsibility onto the individual to become information literate. Three different types of information evaluators are presented: non-evaluator (never questions anything), pragmatic evaluator (thinks about the trust and distrust of a source), and skeptical evaluator (never trusts anything). Haider & Sundin state that most people should strive to be a pragmatic evaluator because they are likely to be a “well-educated, self-confident person, knowing what and how to trust and gauging information against well-establish and socially accepted value systems and norms” (2022, p.36). Libraries and information centers can help people become pragmatic evaluators by “providing quality books [and] providing tools for citizens to steer clear of harmful information” (Haider and Sundin, 2022, p. 26).
The second paradox is one of normativity or the “goal of advancing social justice and equity” through information literacy (Haider & Sundin, 2022, p. 61). The idea of intrinsic plausibility is introduced by the authors and states that a person is likely to believe information based on what they already know. It is difficult for society to advance when people have varying beliefs and opinions. People respond to information depending on their group identity (Haider and Sundin, 2022, p. 64). These group identities are continually shaped and strengthened by artificial intelligence algorithms which help “form society’s information infrastructure” (Haider and Sundin, 2022, p. 66).
The third paradox is temporality which looks at media and information literacy and its relationship to the past while anticipating how it will operate in the future. Haider & Sundin found in their interviews that people try and imagine how an algorithm operates and attempt to change it (2022, p. 76). For social media advertising, if they do not like the content they are receiving, they will search for new things which trigger new ads. As the information explosion continues to grow into the future, “expertise depends as much on the ability to ignore as it does on content intake” (Haider and Sundin, 2022, p. 87). Being able to sort and reject mis- and irrelevant information continues to be one of the greatest tasks to date.
The fourth paradox is trust and the role that libraries and educational institutions play in promoting media and information literacy. Haider & Sundin argue that lessons on how to properly search and evaluate information are severely lacking or non-existent (2022, p. 109). Libraries can educate the population by providing workshops on technology, artificial intelligence, and how to evaluate information and spot mis- and disinformation.
The fifth and final paradox presented is that of maintaining neutrality and how media and information literacy can work towards creating a better democracy. Haider & Sundin explore how the country of Sweden has done their best to educate the public and bring awareness to the concept of source criticism or the ability to evaluate information for truth and integrity (2022, p. 120). In Sweden, it is the belief that everyone must self-contribute to make the country safer collectively.
Paradoxes of Media and Information Literacy: The Crisis of Information presented a lot of evidence and was very persuasive with its arguments that media and information literacy can only be solved through navigating the five paradoxes. I agree with almost all the points they presented. The authors are clearly an authority on the subject with their background as Professors of Information Studies. I found that their information background influenced me as I strived to understand their points from an MLIS student perspective. With that being said, I did feel that the five paradoxes became too complex by dedicating a chapter for each one. I found myself getting lost in what they were trying to argue with too much information. It was not until going through my notes and highlighted quotes that I really began to understand what they were trying to convey with each paradox. The irony is that there was too much information in this book about information. I believe they could have gotten their point across more clearly and succinctly in a focused article with a section on each paradox. I would recommend this book to scholars and students studying information literacy, but not to a general audience interested in the subject. The material becomes too complex after the introductory chapter which is too bad because the book has ideas that would benefit everyone. I did enjoy piecing together the book and appreciate that it is open access for all to discover.
Reference
Haider, J., and Sundin, O. (2022). Paradoxes of media and information literacy: The crisis of information. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003163237