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Social media literacy

Explore the challenges and opportunities of social media with the Center for Humane Technology


Our social media environment is broken. Want a roadmap to help fix it? Integrating expertise across technology, mindfulness, and educational instruction, this interactive course helps young people navigate — and push to change — a broken social media environment. Each unit contains questions and activities that can be self-directed or worked through in a group or classroom setting. Each unit can be useful on its own, though they are best when used as a full curriculum. They are designed for educators to use with youth ages 13-25 but can be used by anyone to learn about these issues and to push for a humane, sustainable, and equitable future.

Unit 1: Welcome to the course

How to use this course: Welcome to the course

Unit 2: The attention economy

Introduction to the attention economy unit: The attention economyHow the attention economy shapes social media: The attention economyHow the attention economy distorts our views and our world: The attention economy
Changing the system: The attention economyTake action! Share your story: The attention economy

Unit 3: Persuasive technology

Introduction to the persuasive technology unit: Persuasive technologyWhat is persuasive technology?: Persuasive technologyWhat is artificial intelligence and how do social media companies use it?: Persuasive technology
What makes persuasive technology so powerful?: Persuasive technologyWhat harms are caused by persuasive technology?: Persuasive technologyWhere is all this persuasive technology taking us?: Persuasive technologyTake action! Take control of your social media use: Persuasive technology

Unit 4: Social media and the brain

Introduction to the social media and the brain unit: Social media and the brainWhat are cognitive biases and how does social media take advantage of them?: Social media and the brainHow does social media impact our behavior?: Social media and the brain
How does social media impact the brain as it develops?: Social media and the brainWhat happens when we can’t resist persuasive technology?: Social media and the brain

Unit 5: Seeing the consequences

Introduction to the seeing the consequences unit: Seeing the consequencesHow does persuasive technology amplify societal problems?: Seeing the consequencesWhy do we need to think systemically?: Seeing the consequences
What new paradigms do we need to shift towards?: Seeing the consequencesTake action! Imagine humane technology: Seeing the consequences
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