Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay, a faculty member of the Department of Journalism at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication, stated that one of the most important functions of digital literacy is to raise individuals' awareness of where and from which source they can access accurate information. She added that with the intensive use of social media platforms, there is virtually an epidemic of misleading and unreliable information in society, and emphasized that there are a series of principles users must adhere to in order to protect themselves from this epidemic or to escape with minimal harm. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atalay said, 'The expertise of the person or persons creating the content, and the reliability of the platform where the source is published, should be questioned. Furthermore, the evidence, visuals, and citations presented in the source should be checked against different sources and subjected to a critical filter. Verifying information from multiple sources is extremely important to prevent exposure to misleading or erroneous information.'
Head of the Department of Journalism at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay, pointing out the importance of digital literacy, explained that with the rapid development of technology, access to information has largely begun to be provided through digital technologies, and many areas of our lives have become directly related to digital technologies.
Digital literacy increases awareness of security and privacy on digital platforms
Stating that 'Digital literacy is of vital importance for individuals today,' Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atalay explained that digital literacy can be defined as the abilities to acquire information from various digital sources, critically evaluate this information, communicate effectively with digital technologies, and use technological tools efficiently.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atalay continued as follows:
'Thanks to these skills, individuals can access a fast and wide range of information via the internet. However, within this abundance of information, there is also a risk of encountering misleading or low-quality information. Digital literacy skills are very important at this point, because they equip individuals to distinguish such information and evaluate it from a critical perspective. Digital literacy increases awareness of security and privacy on digital platforms. When individuals receive digital literacy education, they act more consciously in protecting their personal information, recognizing online threats, and taking digital security measures.'
Verifying information from multiple sources prevents exposure to erroneous information
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atalay noted that there is a vast amount of content in the digital world, but not all of this content contains accurate and useful information, and she provided information about the functions of digital literacy, continuing as follows:
'One of the most important functions of digital literacy is to raise individuals' awareness of where and from which source they can access accurate information. Before evaluating the accuracy and reliability of any source, it is necessary to examine the source with a critical eye. The expertise of the person or persons creating the content, and the reliability of the platform where the source is published, should be questioned. Furthermore, the evidence, visuals, and citations presented in the source should be checked against different sources and subjected to a critical filter. Verifying information from multiple sources is extremely important to prevent exposure to misleading or erroneous information. It is especially crucial to approach content encountered on social media platforms with much greater skepticism.'
Content is published almost without supervision on social media platforms
'Sharing and multiplying appealing content without verification and critical filtering serves to spread misinformation and disinformation. This is because social media platforms are based on user-generated content, allowing anyone to easily open an account and publish any content almost without supervision. The censorship and editorial processes found in traditional media tools like newspapers or television do not exist on social media. From this perspective, digital literacy skills are extremely necessary for using social media efficiently, effectively, and without harm.'
Intensive use of social media platforms caused an unreliable information epidemic
Explaining that digital literacy and media literacy intersect in the concept of digital media literacy, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atalay stated the following:
'We can say that the concept of media literacy is now approached from a broad perspective, encompassing mastery over the use and consumption of digital media technologies. We know that with the intensive use of social media platforms, there is virtually an epidemic of misleading and unreliable information in society. To protect ourselves from this epidemic or to escape with minimal harm, we, as users, must adhere to a series of principles. We should approach all intriguing, surprising, or fear-inducing information we encounter from digital media with skepticism. Critical thinking is extremely important. We must verify content that we deem important and that will affect our thoughts, behaviors, and lives from multiple sources. Especially before resharing such content, we should check it twice.'
Digital literacy skills are essential for social media use
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atalay also emphasized the importance of digital literacy in knowing how to create content on digital platforms, and stated that individuals who master the etiquette of the digital world communicate more effectively on digital platforms, and that it should not be forgotten that if certain rules of politeness and conduct are not followed in social relationships established through digital media, a negative image can be created, and relationships can be harmed.
Head of the Department of Journalism at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay concluded her words as follows: 'Digital literacy skills are extremely necessary for social media use. Especially to identify accurate and valuable content, it is crucial to understand the nature of these platforms well and to keep in mind that not all information encountered there may reflect the truth, and that statements appearing to be made by a well-known, famous, or important person, or the information provided, may originate from fake accounts. As we witnessed during this year's Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake disaster, posts presented as statements from important and serious institutions put people in difficult situations and led to the misdirection and delay of aid efforts. Therefore, to reiterate once again, when it comes to social media, one must not abandon skepticism and must check the accuracy of the source and whether the visuals in the post are related to the mentioned topic, region, or individuals.'