2023: events that reinforce the importance of education – 12/21/2023 – Education

In 2023, media education gained unprecedented space in the public debate, becoming part of the discourse of authorities and the structure of the federal government, with the creation of the Department of Network Rights and Media Education as part of the Secretariat of Social Communication (Secom ) of the Presidency. These advances were extremely important, as the challenges of the connected world become increasingly complex, with new sophisticated technologies emerging and becoming popular at an unprecedented speed.

In this sense, the year was also full of obstacles. With this in mind, we selected some of the most relevant events of 2023 that reinforce the importance of moving forward in the construction and implementation of sustainable public media education policies, supporting the development of skills and competencies so that we can face all these — and future — environmental issues. information in the best way possible.

Undemocratic acts

Brazil watched in horror at the scenes of depredation of public property and attack on democracy on January 8th. Disrespecting the results of the polls in October 2022 and inflamed by an avalanche of electoral disinformation, extremist speeches and conspiracy theories, thousands of coup plotters invaded and attacked public buildings that are symbols of Brasília (DF), such as the National Congress, the Planalto Palace and the Federal Supreme Court. The scenario that led to such an episode is complex and demands many actions, but media education certainly has a role to play in building a less polluted informational context, in which all citizens understand their responsibility when creating or sharing content.

Artificial intelligence

The rapid popularization of ChatGPT surprised the world and sparked heated debates about the authorship of texts in everyday schools and universities, the future of creative and intellectual work and the originality of literary and artistic works, in addition to generating alarming theories about the end of humanity . However, it was not just the chatbot that showed the still indecipherable potential of artificial intelligence: the creation of fake nudes of teenagers by classmates in Brazilian schools, for example, was quite revealing of the urgency of establishing rules for the development and understanding of benefits that these synthetic media can bring.

Wars

The dispute over narratives is common in geopolitical clashes, but in the context of hyperabundance of information in which we live, this has taken on an almost unimaginable scale. In addition to the war in Ukraine, which completed one year in February, the world has watched daily, since October 7, the conflict between Israel and Hamas record records of injuries and fatalities in the Gaza Strip. If, on the one hand, there is difficulty in obtaining journalistically balanced information, social networks have been flooded with fake images or images taken out of context, which makes following the facts an increasingly difficult activity. Media education, in this case, prepares more reflective readers with the skills to “interrogate” information instead of simply consuming everything that comes to us.

Attacks in Brazilian schools

The year saw the sad and unprecedented number of 11 attacks on Brazilian schools between January and October, according to a report by Gepem (Group of Studies and Research in Moral Education), made up of researchers from Unicamp and Unesp. For these experts, it is essential to combat the toxicity of radical content consumed by aggressors in online communities, as well as control the use of social media by children and adolescents.

Online games, betting and digital scams

A Fantástico report, shown in December, caused a furor when it denounced Blaze, a digital gambling platform that had advertising contracts with influencers, for alleged illegal activities. The topic of “online betting” was quite recurrent during the year, even generating a discussion in Congress about the regulation of this practice in the sports field. Furthermore, Brazil was one of the countries with the most cybercrime and fraud in 2023, something that also requires constant vigilance and critical thinking, considering the increasingly advanced degree of sophistication that scams reach.

Global warming

Cyclones, torrential rains and extreme heat waves have placed meteorology among the most talked about topics in the news and on social media in the country. Increasingly frequent, environmental catastrophes also generate a wave of misinformation based on denialism and conspiracism, which demands the strengthening quality journalism about the environment and scientific and media education initiatives as pillars of a more sustainable planet.

It is clear that these are complex problems that need to be faced by varied actions and diverse actors, but media education has its share of contribution in preparing society for a more responsible, safe and ethical relationship with information.