Combate ao vírus da fake news nas mídias sociais

Abstract

The spread of fake news about COVID-19 on social media has significant impacts on the health of affected individuals, as well as on public health, in general. These impacts reinforce the importance of discussing, in the classroom, (i) the theme "fake news" and (ii) the conscious use of digital tools and online social media. Therefore, this proposal aims to expand the learning of critical reading of online news, through practical activities with the use of appropriate digital tools. These activities include the development of research skills in a virtual environment to verify the data present in news and the production of texts and infographics related to the theme. They are proposed in the context of the pandemic, with a focus on reducing the spread of false news about the virus, emphasizing the social role of students as responsible for the content consumed, produced and disseminated online. Specifically, the project proposes activities regarding the (i) analysis of different news taken from social media referring to COVID-19, (ii) infographic and text production and (iii) use of digital tools that facilitate the identification and checking whether contents are true or fake. The premise of this work is that the use of the virtual environment is capable of providing a pedagogical space for reflection and construction of critical knowledge for the practice of collective social actions. Therefore, pedagogical activities should be promoted that include the essential skills to create the habit of reading and checking the veracity of the news, in light of the awareness of its impacts on society. For this reason, media literacy and digital literacy in schools become essential for the educational process of training citizens who use digital resources for social good.