Personal Dev Media Literacy¶
10 cards — 🟢 3 easy | 🟡 4 medium | 🔴 3 hard
🟢 Easy (3)¶
1. What is the CRAAP test for evaluating information sources?
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CRAAP stands for Currency (when was it published/updated?), Relevance (does it relate to your question?), Authority (who is the author and what are their credentials?), Accuracy (is it supported by evidence, can it be verified?), and Purpose (why does this exist — to inform, persuade, sell, entertain?). It is a quick checklist for deciding whether a source deserves trust before you act on its claims.2. What are filter bubbles and how do they distort perception of reality?
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Filter bubbles are algorithmic environments that show you content matching your existing preferences, beliefs, and behavior. They distort perception by making your views seem more popular and universal than they are, hiding opposing evidence, and gradually narrowing the range of information you encounter. The danger is not that you see agreeable content — it is that you stop noticing what you are not seeing.3. What are three common propaganda techniques that use emotion instead of evidence?
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(1) Appeal to fear — exaggerating threats to bypass rational evaluation. (2) Bandwagon — implying "everyone agrees" to pressure conformity. (3) Loaded language — using emotionally charged words to trigger reactions before analysis ("invasion" vs "migration" vs "arrival" describe the same event differently). All three work by activating emotional responses that short-circuit careful evaluation of the actual claim.🟡 Medium (4)¶
1. What is astroturfing and how can you detect it?
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Astroturfing is the practice of disguising an organized campaign as spontaneous grassroots activity. It manufactures the appearance of widespread public support or opposition. Detection clues: identical talking points across many accounts, new accounts with high activity, coordinated timing of posts, suspiciously polished messaging from "ordinary citizens," and financial or organizational connections between seemingly independent voices. The name is a pun on AstroTurf — fake grass, fake grassroots.2. What should you know about deepfakes for practical media literacy?
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Deepfakes are AI-generated or AI-manipulated media (video, audio, images) that can convincingly depict people saying or doing things they never did. Practical awareness: (1) seeing is no longer believing — video and audio evidence now requires verification, (2) cheapfakes (simple edits, context manipulation) are far more common than sophisticated deepfakes, (3) check provenance before sharing dramatic media, (4) look for institutional confirmation from multiple independent sources, not just the media itself.3. What is the difference between an ad hominem fallacy and a genetic fallacy?
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Ad hominem attacks the person making the argument instead of the argument itself ("You failed math, so your budget analysis is wrong"). Genetic fallacy dismisses a claim based on its origin rather than its content ("That idea came from a competitor, so ignore it"). Both are fallacies because the truth of a claim is independent of who says it or where it comes from. However, source credibility can be legitimately relevant for unverifiable claims — the fallacy is in using source as the ONLY rebuttal.4. What is the Gish gallop technique and how do you counter it?
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The Gish gallop (named after creationist Duane Gish) is flooding an opponent with many weak arguments faster than they can be individually rebutted. Each claim takes seconds to make but minutes to refute. The audience perceives unanswered points as conceded. Counters: (1) name the technique explicitly, (2) pick the strongest two or three claims and dismantle them thoroughly, (3) point out that quantity of claims is not quality of evidence, (4) refuse to chase every point and control the frame.🔴 Hard (3)¶
1. What is FOMO engineering and how is it used to manipulate decisions?
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FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) engineering is deliberately creating urgency, scarcity, or exclusivity to pressure decisions before rational evaluation. Techniques: countdown timers, "only 3 left" notifications, limited-time offers, social proof showing others buying, and "everyone is talking about this." It works by activating loss aversion (losing hurts more than gaining feels good) and social anxiety. Defense: any decision that must be made RIGHT NOW is usually a decision someone does not want you to think about.2. How does framing make objectively true information function as propaganda?
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Framing controls interpretation by selecting which true facts to emphasize, what context to include or omit, what comparison to use, and what emotional register to set. A company laying off 10% of workers can be framed as "1,000 families devastated" or "efficient restructuring saves 9,000 jobs" — both true, radically different conclusions. Propaganda often works not by lying but by selecting, sequencing, and framing true facts to guide the audience toward a predetermined interpretation. The omitted context is often the real weapon.3. What is a verification ladder and when should you climb it?