LANGUAGE AND MEDIA LITERACY

Disinformation and propaganda can spread effectively because they provoke strong, immediate emotional responses, such as surprise, shock, and fear. These strong reactions are often triggered by subtle linguistic devices, and as long as they remain unnoticed, people will find it difficult to resist deception. This four-hour training therefore enables high school and university students, as well as the general public, to quickly detect specifically the linguistic signs of manipulation in the public sphere.

Part of the language tools in question relate to content (e.g., fallacies, superlatives), while others manifest visually (e.g. the extensive use of capital letters). By analyzing real-life examples and cases, participants become aquatinted with both. By the end of the training, they will be able to detect these devices before they affect them psychologically. In this way, participants can build an effective defense system that safeguards both themselves and their communities.

The training has been successfully tested and implemented with a large number of high school students in Madrid, Spain. Invitations from schools, universities, and organizations in the media literacy field around the world are now welcome. The training can be delivered both online and face-to-face.