Download pdf - NEWS RELEASE - PROJECT INFORMATION LITERACY (PIL) · 29-03-2019 · PIL’s latest research effort, the eleventh study for the influential PIL project. New data from interviews with

NEWSRELEASE-PROJECTINFORMATIONLITERACY(PIL)

MARCH29,2019

NationalStudyonInformationLiteracyamongCollegeStudentsintheAgeofAlgorithms

SupportfromtheKnightFoundationandHarvardGraduateSchoolofEducation

SantaRosa,Calif.–ProjectInformationLiteracy(PIL),anonprofitresearchinstitute,ismarkingits10thanniversarybylaunchinganationalstudylookingatthefutureofinformationliteracyamongcollegestudents.Theresearch,conductedbyAlisonHeadandBarbaraFister,willexaminetoday’sinformationenvironmentandtheimpactofoneofitsmostdefiningfeatures—algorithms—theendlesslinesofopaquecodingthatmakelightening-fastcalculationsanddecisionsforandaboutusthataffectthecourseofoureverydaylivesinbothhelpfulandunhelpfulways.

GroundedinknowledgegainedfromPIL’sdecadeoflarge-scalestudiesonhowcollegestudentsfindanduseinformationforcourseworkandintheirpersonallives,andmorerecently,ontheinterplayofjournalism,newplatforms,andtrustinmedia,aspecialresearchreportwillsummoneducatorstoembracethechallengeofunderstandingnewformsandchannelsofinformationbeyondacademia.Asetofrecommendationswillbeofferedforthreegroups—librarians,educators,andjournalists—thatworkwhereinformationandyoungadultsintersect.

“Whenlibrariansandeducatorsfirstadoptedinformationliteracyasanessentialeducationaloutcome,algorithm-drivenplatformslikeGoogle,Facebook,andYouTubedidnotexist,”saidDr.AlisonJ.Head,thedirectorofPILandaninformationscientistandaseniorresearcheratthemetaLABatHarvard.“Nowcolossalonlineplatformswiththeirinvisibleswitchesandfiltershavetremendouspotentialtoinfluenceouropportunities,whatweseeandlearn,whatwethink,andultimately,whoweare.”

TheJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundationandHarvardGraduateSchoolofEducationaresupportingPIL’slatestresearcheffort,theeleventhstudyfortheinfluentialPILproject.Newdatafrominterviewswithmorethan100studentsandfacultyonsixdifferentcollegecampusesacrossthecountrywillbeincluded.Datawillbecollectedaboutfacultyandstudentawarenessofblack-boxalgorithmsthataredramaticallyinfluencingtheinformationtheyencounterandimpactingtheirabilitytodistinguishfactsfromfalsehoodsinthenewsandinformationtheymayreceive.

Concernsaboutthehiddenpowerofalgorithmshavecontinuedtomountinrecentmonthsforusersofpopularplatforms.Earlylastyear,abreakingnewsstoryrevealedCambridgeAnalyticausedpowerfulalgorithmstotrawlthroughmillionsofFacebookprofilesanddevelopatargetedcampaigntoswayusers’votinghabits.Morerecently,PinterestandYouTubearewrestlingwithdecisionsaboutcontentmoderationinthefaceofmisinformationaboutvaccinesandthelightning-fastspreadofextremistpropaganda.Evenplatformsthatcontrolthecomplexproprietarycodethatdetermineswhatweseecanbecaughtunpreparedwhenthesystemstheydesignedtopersuadeshoppersareusedtospreadnoxiousideologies.Studentsneedtolearnhowalgorithmsaffecttheinformationthatstreamsatthemconstantlythroughoutthedayinordertobetrulyinformationliterateinthe21stcentury.

“Weareraisingcriticalquestionsatatimewhenhighereducationneedstopaymoreattentiontohowprofoundlyourinformationlandscapeischanging,”saidHead.“OurreportwillsummarizekeyfindingsfromadecadeofPIL’sstudiesofmorethan22,000U.S.studentswhileaskingsomedeeperquestionsaboutpreparingtoday’sstudentstoparticipateinsharingandcreatinginformationresponsiblyascitizensinachangingandchallengedworld.”

Theopenaccessreport,dueoutinmid-December,willshedlightontheseandotherimportantissuesandmakerecommendationsforawayforwardintheageofalgorithms.

Contact:Dr.AlisonJ.Head,Director,ProjectInformationLiteracy,http://[email protected],707-800-7590