“MAMA, what is the deepest lake in the world?” asked Aaron recently on our way to school. Aaron has just started Standard 1, and has been bombarding me with stupefying questions which left me dumbfounded.
How are bridges built over water? Why don’t we fall off when the earth moves? What is the difference between thunder and lightning? What is the biggest bird in the world?
I was pleasantly surprised to hear the questions and thought that this would be a good opportunity to teach Aaron how to search for information on the Internet. Aaron is a frequent surfer on the world wide web but his searches are limited to online games and cartoon videos. This, I felt is the right time to let him discover that the Internet also has a wealth of information.
So, I answered: “Why don’t you Google it up?”
The Internet is a treasure trove of information. As a lecturer, I often ask my students to search for journal articles online. I also scour the Internet for new ideas in approaching theoretical subjects like Media Ethics, to create a more meaningful teaching and learning experience for my students.
The hype of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) also sees technology being heavily utilised in one’s daily activity. From ordering groceries, to buying books and making reservations at a restaurant, digital technology has slowly become an integral part of our life.
I remember feeling lost, when my smartphone was out of power, and I couldn’t navigate my way out of the heart of Kuala Lumpur. There were plenty of signs which clearly directed the way, but I still panicked. My 22-year-old self would have laughed at the current me because whizzing my way around unfamiliar places without the assistance of a GPS 15 years ago was not something I would worry about.
My experience is a clear example of how the evolution of technology can deeply affect society. Another example is how conversations at the dining table are conducted via social media applications such as WhatsApp or WeChat. Not only that, children nowadays also seem to prefer virtual games to physical ones.
According to renowned media and communications scholar Sonia Livingstone, the Internet has become embedded in children’s life. In Malaysia for instance, young people make up about 66.6 per cent of Internet users.
While the Internet can be considered crucial, especially in light of 4IR, dependency on digital technology is quite worrying. It has, to some extent, influenced one’s behaviour, customs and beliefs.
The Internet has been so ingrained in our lives that it influences the way we make meaning out of everything around us. Decisions, assumptions and perceptions are often made based on “research” done on the Internet. It is, as French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu would call, habitus.
As a media and communications scholar, my concern lies in the rampant dissemination of information which at times is not verified and proven to be untruths. The amount of information on the Internet is endless, and if not appropriately disseminated or utilised can be detrimental.
The fake news bill which will be tabled in Parliament is definitely a step in the right direction. However, I honestly think that it is equally important for the problem to be tackled at the root. Prevention, after all, is better than cure.
Therefore, in my opinion, it is crucial that critical thinking skills, with regard to media use, especially among young people, be developed. Maybe, it is about time these skills were introduced in schools.
I have skimmed through my children’s primary school textbooks and found that lessons on information technology are more focused on the tool, such as the various parts of computers but hardly discuss basic and important soft skills such as how to seek information online or ways to verify and validate pictures or statements.
In our initiative to create a digitally inclusive nation, it is important to make young people realise that technology, especially the Internet, is not merely a tool. It has the potential to empower people and create social change.
Dr Sabariah Mohamed Salleh is the director of UKM Centre of Corporate Communications and a scholar in the area of young people and the media. She hopes to one day see media literacy skills embedded in the school curriculum. She can be reached via sabariah@ukm.edu.my