Three wishes for Information Literacy in 2025

Three wishes for information literacy in 2025

In this blog post Laura Woods, co-Chair of the Information Literacy Group, reflects on the current political climate and what this means for information literacy. This blog represents Laura’s personal views on the topic.

______________________________________________________________

Happy New Year to the information literacy community! January is traditionally a time for reflecting on the past, and looking to the future. So for my first blog post of 2025, I thought I’d share my hopes for information literacy in 2025.

Hope can feel difficult to come by. Whatever your political leanings, it is safe to say that the world is a turbulent place right now. For those of us with an interest in information literacy, these can feel especially trying times. The rise of generative AI has contributed to the mis- and disinformation already threatening our media and information landscapes, and with the UK government recently signalling their intention to “unleash AI” across the country’s businesses and education, this looks unlikely to slow down any time soon. At time of writing, Donald Trump has just been inaugurated as US President – with the unwelcome reminder that his previous period in office was associated with a measurable rise in hate crimes, as extremists were emboldened by his racist, sexist and xenophobic rhetoric. Trump also has the support of Elon Musk, who considers himself a “free speech absolutist”, apparently interpreting this to mean platforming right-wing extremists such as Tommy Robinson, and contributing to the spread of misinformation around anti-immigration riots in the UK in August 2024. Other social media networks are also signalling their intention to align themselves with Trump’s priorities, such as Meta’s recent change to their moderation policy which explicitly removed protections from harassment for LGBTQ+ users.

In these times, critical engagement with information is crucial. That’s not to say that I think information literacy is the solution to all society’s problems – that line of thinking is a classic example of vocational awe! However, I do find that an information literacy lens helps me to make sense of the world. So, with all that said, here are my three wishes for information literacy in 2025…

May we engage critically with information

In 2018, the CILIP Information Literacy Group defined information literacy as follows:

“Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements about any information we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to develop informed views and to engage fully with society.”

The first sentence is sometimes quoted alone, but I think the second sentence is equally important. An informed citizenry (by which I mean simply the inhabitants of a place, not the more modern definition of a legal resident) is essential for society to function. It is therefore a duty on all of us to engage critically with the information we seek, use and share.

I particularly like Mike Caulfield’s SIFT method for encouraging critical engagement with sources. Unlike checklist approaches such as the CRAAP test, SIFT is a list of things to do, rather than things to check, and thus encourages an active and critical stance. I think this is particularly key as one of the purposes of disinformation is not just to convince people that disinformation is actually true, but to create a sense that no information is trustworthy. Critical engagement techniques like SIFT may help counter this. I love that the very first stage of SIFT is Stop: encouraging us to slow down, remind ourselves of our purpose, and check our assumptions. In a 24-hour media cycle, pausing for critical thought is a vital step.

May we be thoughtful in our media consumption

One of my strongest memories from Trump’s previous term in office was just how exhausting it all was, with a fresh set of outrages reported daily. And I believe we are already seeing the same strategy. Just in the time since I started writing this blog post, we’ve had Elon Musk performing Nazi salutes at Trump’s inauguration; Trump calling a bishop who gently encouraged mercy towards migrants and LGBTQ+ communities a “radical left hard-line Trump hater”; and Trump signing executive orders to end birthright citizenship, leave the World Health Organisation, and legally mandate recognition of only two genders. 

This is arguably a deliberate strategy. Keeping the outrages coming prevents any one of them dominating the media narrative, and fosters a sense of helplessness. So while I understand the impulse to share and comment on the latest awful thing, I think it’s also a duty on us all to be thoughtful about what we choose to amplify. Doomscrolling is an understandable impulse, and it’s certainly one I indulge in! But there does reach a point where it becomes unhealthy, and taking a break from news and social media is essential for both preserving your own mental health and mitigating the impact your doom-driven sharing may have on others. 

Personally, I have reinstalled an app blocker that prevents me from opening my social media apps first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I still engage with news via social media, but I do so at times of my choosing. I don’t want to switch off from all the bad things happening in the world, but I do want to be mindful about how and when I engage. I’ve also got a bit more selective about what posts to share – I can assume that most of my feed has already seen the latest screenshot of Trump saying something awful, so do I really need to reshare it?

May we uplift our communities

My final wish applies as much to everyday life as it does to professional and information literacy pursuits! I strongly believe in the importance of building and maintaining communities. This might mean connecting with your professional community in person (hint, LILAC conference bookings are now open…), or it might mean seeking opportunities to connect online. Like many others, I took the decision to leave X (formerly Twitter) last year, and it took a while to find my librarian and information literacy community again! Fortunately, it seems like most of my former Twitter librarian pals have turned up on Bluesky, which I’m now really enjoying as my main social media. 

A trusted community is also essential in building and developing trust in information sources. In the current information landscape, traditional markers of “quality” information are not necessarily sufficient. Can you trust information from a government website, for example, if the government is a source of misinformation? Can you rely on a peer-reviewed journal article when there are predatory journals claiming to do “peer review” in a matter of days? When the information environment is polluted by bad-faith actors, your community becomes a resource for verifying information. An online community is also a great way to seek out underrepresented perspectives. For example, I have learned more about racist, anti-Semitic and transphobic dog whistles from following people from those communities on Twitter and Bluesky than I would ever have done from mainstream media outlets, who often perpetuate those same dog whistles.

I trust our information literacy community. It’s difficult to be optimistic about the state of the world generally, but while I don’t think that information literacy will fix everything, I am sure that it’s a tool in the toolkit to help us through an uncertain time.

Hi! 👋

Want more Information Literacy, straight into your inbox?

Sign up to the ILG newsletter for the latest posts and weekly round-ups!

By subscribing, you agree to receive our promotional content and agree to our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Want more Information Literacy, straight into your inbox?

Sign up to the ILG newsletter for the latest posts and weekly round-ups!

By subscribing, you agree to receive our promotional content and agree to our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *