The Potential of Digital Literacy to Curb Problematic Information: An Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

In this integrative literature review, we examine how digital literacy can help adults identify problematic information (misinformation, disinformation, etc.). We found that some studies do indicate that digital literacy can help address problematic information, but how digital literacy is conceptualized and operationalized needs to change. Digital literacy approaches need to incorporate lateral reading skills and how structural factors influence how information is presented and consumed online. Additionally, incorporating games into instructional practices may help diffuse the political implications of teaching about problematic information. However, digital literacy instruction cannot cure the global problem of problematic information and more community-based, rigorous research needs to explore the effectiveness of instruction.