"Young Namibians are embracing the digital transformation, according to indicative findings from the present MIL INDEX country study. Interestingly, the youths that took part in eight focus groups conducted at the end of 2018 in Windhoek and Rundu are immersed in digital communication but are aware
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of the ambivalent nature of the news and information sources they find on social media and related Internet services. The importance of a critical mindset when navigating the World Wide Web was stressed by the eight experts interviewed as part of the study.
This MIL INDEX study addresses five dimensions of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) according to DW Akademie’s MIL model: access, analysis, reflection, creation, and action. The focus groups conducted for this study reveal that there is a rural/urban divide in terms of access and use of media. The more rural (and older) groups use radio and television on a regular basis, while the more urban (and younger) groups tend to regard traditional media as yesterday’s media. This shift is in line with the rise of social media. Information uptake is coincidental and journalistic content is intermingled with all sorts of trivia when consumed in social networks. Smartphones are regarded by many as a substitute for newspapers, radio, and television. Amongst those who continue using traditional media, radio is turned to more often for information while TV is regarded more as an entertainment medium.
Considering analytical skills, there is a certain disenchantment of the Namibian youths with journalistic media, the reporting being considered not close enough to the interests and issues of the youth. But it was interesting to find that the focus group participants’ appraisal of media in terms of trustworthiness is the exact opposite of their consumption patterns. While the discussions documented frequent use of social media these are evaluated as least trustworthy, whereas newspapers are rated highly on the trustworthiness scale but were hardly ever read. There is an awareness of the ambivalent quality of news and information on social media, but the youths cannot always name sources they consider produce high-quality information.
The results in the reflection dimension are ambivalent. The youths can recount numerous cases of cyberbullying and disinformation (“fake news”). But the accompanying survey shows that while they reject hate speech and disinformation, there is a certain willingness to accept cyberbullying as given. This is echoed in the focus groups where participants’ advice is often to ignore hateful messages, rather than do something about them. However, the groups do discuss many other strategies in coming to terms with and combatting cyberbullying and disinformation. Rarely do they reflect the motivations that lie behind such behavior. It was also interesting to note that disinformation is mainly discussed with regards to online rather than traditional media." (Executive summary)
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"Young Ugandans are reluctant to voice their concerns and take part in public discussions according to indicative findings from the MIL INDEX country study presented here. The eight focus groups conducted for the study in Kampala and Bugembe early in 2019 revealed that youths are using both traditio
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nal and social media extensively, but discussions of political and public issues take place mainly in closed circles on platforms like WhatsApp. “It is a suffocated environment,” says media expert Gerald Businge.
This MIL INDEX study is aimed at obtaining a concise picture of media- and information-related skills amongst youths under the age of 35 in Uganda. It addresses five dimensions of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) based on DW Akademie’s MIL model: access, analysis, reflection, creation, and action.
The focus group participants see themselves living in the “the dot-com era” though access to the Internet and even television is far from universal in Uganda. The smartphone is the most popular device and it serves as a benchmark when judging more traditional media (radio, television, and newspapers). Social media are used alongside traditional media, but there is a feeling that traditional media, especially radio, are losing touch with the Ugandan youth of today. There is a general neglect of printed media, based on an aversion to long reads and often also difficulties in understanding them. Some participants feel they are addicted to social media and online messengers.
When it comes to analytical skills, the Ugandan youths in the focus groups are not very critical of the media environment they live in despite the overwhelming evidence that state control, intimidation, and media concentration are problems in Uganda. But they do pick up on news bias and sensationalism. They are also aware of the fact that online sources and social media information should not be trusted blindly. Participants can differentiate between quality and tabloid-type media, but an alarming proportion does not know their constitutional right to freedom of expression.
The level of reflection on the part of focus group participants is medium to low. They can render many cases of cyberbullying/hate speech, disinformation and cybercrime, though they are not always aware of the difference. Especially the examples of cyber-harassment that are recounted in the focus groups reveal that female youths are primarily targeted. At the same time there seems to be little in the way of counselling for victims and there was not enough reflection of the background to such malevolent forms of communication. Strategies in coping with them are not very elaborate, though some groups did mention methods of verification in the context of disinformation several times. There is considerable potential for support when it comes to dealing with cyberbullying, cyber-harassment, hate speech and cybercrime." (Executive summary)
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"Young Ivorians are adept at using digital media. They are creative when it comes to using digital media and many have developed strategies to cope with media malpractices such as cyberbullying or hate speech. These are two significant, indicative findings from the present MIL INDEX country study. B
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oth seem very impressive considering the challenges of high illiteracy rates and the strongly politicized national media landscape in Côte d’Ivoire. The results of the study are drawn from eight focus groups conducted in the beginning of 2019 in Abidjan and Bouaké and interviews with eight local experts. They confirm that young people are very good at using and creating content on social media but urgently need better critical, analytical, and reflective skills.
This MIL INDEX study is aimed at obtaining a concise picture of media- and information-related skills amongst youths under the age of 35 in Côte d’Ivoire. It addresses five dimensions of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) according to DW Akademie’s MIL model: access, analysis, reflection, creation, and action.
In terms of access the focus groups conducted for this study reveal that young urban and semi-urban Ivorians use a variety of different media for purposes such as consuming information, communication, entertainment, education, or business information. Digital media, particularly social media platforms and instant messengers, are the most used and most popular among this age group and are generally preferred over traditional media. Nonetheless, radio and television are still valued for their auditory and visual input which are significant characteristics considering the high illiteracy rates of about 40,4 % present in Côte d’Ivoire (UIS, 2018). A divide between more urban and more rural regions is visible in the case of radio programs, which are more popular in more rural settings. The focus groups suggest this is due to the fact that local radio stations are often the only media which provide news relevant to more remote areas. Most other media show a tendency to focus only on news from the capital. Printed media are widely regarded as too costly and outdated by Ivorian youths.
The results of the analysis dimension indicate that most focus group participants possess a good digital and media knowledge while at the same time many lack awareness of their rights to freedom of expression and access to information. Striking was that youths generally consider content provided by traditional media to be more trustworthy, but mainly consume social media content. This and often very loose definitions of what media quality means showed that there is still room for improvement when it comes to the young people’s analytical skills. Overall, urbanites seem to question the trustworthiness of media content slightly more than youths from more rural regions.
Results from the reflection dimension confirm that Ivorian youths are constantly exposed to malevolent forms of communication and media malpractices such as cyberbullying, hate speech, sexual harassment, and disinformation. Most young people show strong abilities when it comes to recognizing media problems and using prevention or coping strategies to handle them. Exceptions are politically motivated disinformation and biased reporting which are taken as normal in the Ivorian context. Due to this tendency towards normalization only very few young people reflect critically upon this media malpractice. Reflection on a deeper level such as on the impact of media messages or motivations of news outlets is often missing among young people." (Executive summary)
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"Ghana’s youth is embracing digital. According to the representative survey conducted for DW Akademie’s MIL INDEX study, three quarters of 15-25-year-olds own a smartphone. Over 70 % report going online with a mobile phone as well as using Facebook and WhatsApp on a weekly basis. Use of several
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different social networks and messengers is widespread and frequent. More data intensive networks like Snapchat (34.7%), YouTube (29%) and Instagram (26%) are used by a fairly large proportion of survey respondents every week. “We virtually live our lives on the Internet,” as one girl put it during a focus group conducted in Accra. “[I]f it’s about politics, if it’s about entertainment, if it’s about education, you can find enough information on the Internet using your smartphone.
The country report presented here is based on the findings of the MIL INDEX study, for which a representative survey, eight focus groups and seven expert interviews were conducted in Ghana between November 2018 and April 2019. The study focused on five Media and Information Literacy (MIL) skill sets: access, analysis, reflection, creation, and action. For each of these dimensions, survey respondents received a score ranging between 0 (= no skills whatsoever) and 20 (= highest level of skills) points, adding up to a maximum of 100 points. The scoring system measures how often certain skills are actually put into practice (access, creation, action) or tests the skills directly (analysis, reflection). Since citizens cannot permanently use media and information sources, unless they are journalists or media workers, a perfect score of 100 for any country appears unrealistic—it is more about the relative performance across time and in comparison to other countries, as well as being a tool for identifying deficits to be addressed in media development.
The 15-25-year-old Ghanaians on average displayed good skills in terms of action (13.9) and analysis (13.1), and intermediate skills when it came to creation (11.4). Deficits were mainly found in terms of reflection (10.2) and access (10.8). The total score amounted to 59.5 out of a possible 100." (Executive summary)
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"Reliable, high quality information is a key priority for the young generation in Burkina Faso. Perhaps as a consequence of political insecurities and the prevalence of violent extremism, a majority of young people between 15 and 25 years seems very aware of the negative consequences of malevolent f
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orms of communication such as cyberbullying, disinformation and hate speech. At the same time, many young people lack vital Media and Information Literacy skills in the fields of access, creation and analysis of media content. This is according to results from a 2019 representative survey conducted for the MIL INDEX study on behalf of DW Akademie. Cyrille Guel from media NGO EducommunicAfrik echoes these findings, saying in an interview for the study that a basic knowledge of “how media work and how information is disseminated” is lacking. Denis Vincenti of development agency Fondation Hirondelle argues that this lack of skills emanates from the fact that young people are not given a chance to voice their concerns in the country, despite below 25-year-olds accounting for roughly 65 % of the population. The country report presented here is based on the findings of the MIL INDEX study, for which a representative survey, eight focus groups and six expert interviews were conducted in Burkina Faso between November 2018 and April 2019. The Study focused on five Media and Information Literacy (MIL) skill sets: Access, analysis, reflection, creation and action. For each of these dimensions, survey respondents received a score ranging between 0 (= no skills whatsoever) and 20 (= highest level of skills) points, adding up to a total maximum score of 100. The average 15-25-year-old Burkinabè respondent had moderate to good skills when it came to access (10.5), analysis (10.8), as well as reflection (11.5). Deficits were found mainly in the areas of action (8.2) and creation (5.6). The total score amounted to 46.6 out of a possible 100." (Executive summary)
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"The young generation in Kenya rejects disinformative and hateful communication. When asked for their opinion on these matters in a representative survey, a majority of 15-25-year-olds evaluated them as “not to be trusted” and “not funny”. This is one of the most important results of DW Akad
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emie’s MIL INDEX study in Kenya. The finding is all the more relevant considering the fact that in the East African country, “propaganda and fake news is a big problem—it is everywhere, in the social media especially,” as Wallace Gichunge of the Kenyan Center for Media and Information Literacy pointed out in an interview conducted for the Study.
The country report presented here is based on the findings of the MIL INDEX study, for which a representative survey, eight focus groups, and eight expert interviews were conducted in Kenya between November 2018 and April 2019. The study focused on five Media and Information Literacy (MIL) skill sets: access, analysis, reflection, creation, and action. For each of these dimensions, survey respondents received a score ranging between 0 (= no skills whatsoever) and 20 (= highest level of skills) points. The scoring system measures how often certain skills are actually put into practice (access, creation, action) or tests the skills directly (analysis, reflection). Since citizens cannot permanently use media and information sources unless they are journalists or media workers, a perfect score of 100 for any country appears unrealistic—it is more about the relative performance across time and in comparison to other countries, as well as being a tool for identifying deficits to be addressed in media development.
The 15-25-year-old Kenyans displayed good skills when it came to analysis (13.1) and action (12.9) and moderate to good skills in terms of reflection (11.4) as well as access (11.9). Deficits were found mainly in the creation dimension (9.9). The total score amounted to 59,2 out of a possible 100." (Executive summary)
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"As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across Africa, educators, policy makers, parents, and pupils face uncertainty about the path forward. In Kenya, the government has halted all in-person teaching at the primary and secondary levels and moved to remote teaching. Survey findings show, howev
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er, how unequal access to the necessary technology is in Kenya. While regular Internet use has grown fourfold in the past decade, half of Kenyans remain offline. This is especially common in poor, rural, and less educated families, who face the prospect of being left even further behind. Radio caters to the broadest audience in Kenya, though teaching possibilities are no doubt more limited than online. To ensure inclusion and participation in online learning in the medium and longer term, the government will need to activate plans and investments capable of building e-learning infrastructure that facilitates access for all students." (Conclusion)
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"Actualmente, México se compone en mayor medida de una población joven. Esto implica un beneficio considerable para el desarrollo económico del país; no obstante, la evolución hacia una sociedad encabezada por adultos mayores presenta un futuro lleno de desafíos, no solo económicos, sino publ
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icitarios, al considerar que un número importante de organizaciones enfocan sus esfuerzos publicitarios hacia sectores en edad productiva." (Página 2)
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"This report has eight core sections. In the first three sections we outline the overall purpose of the study, the methodological approach and the overarching insights that emerged from the study. This is followed by a section on key citizen information needs and sources. The fifth section discusses
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the media landscape in Vanuatu, varying media access and media consumption patterns and audience’s preferences for different media outlets, media formats and genres. The next section provides an overview of citizens’ attitudes towards development aid, their perceptions of international organisations and entities working in Vanuatu. Section seven focuses on assessing the impact of communication efforts on civic participation and exploring the attitudes and behaviour related to domestic violence and land issues. We conclude with considerations for the development, media and policy community working in Vanuatu and a more detailed description of the methodological approach applied in this study." (Introduction, page 5)
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"In this chapter, we argue that citizen access to information is a catalyst to the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) [...] We examine how citizen access to information varies across a range of population sub-groups, different countries, and across a variety of topics and the exte
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nt to which access to information is related to people's health, finance, livestock, and agricultural practices. We draw on data from the AudienceScapes Research Initiative, gathered in three countries. Zambia, Ghana, and Kenya." (Page 245)
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"Our approach is based on an understanding of access to information as a composite measure of access to source/s or platform, exposure, evaluation, content and self-reported differences in citizens’ reporting of the impact of their use of Information, Communication and Media (ICM) resources (Power
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, Khatun and Debeljak 2011). The data that were used to test this approach were collected within InterMedia’s AudienceScapes research initiative, which was co-funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and aimed to improve development outcomes through knowledge sharing and dissemination of research and analysis in a user-friendly format (see www.audiencescapes.org). Within the initiative, InterMedia conducted nationally representative surveys in Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania, which focused on how the general population in all four countries obtains, shares and uses information on development related issues. The analysis provided insights into understanding citizen’s access to information in a number of key development areas, such as education, health, governance, agriculture and personal finance, and enabled the InterMedia team to examine our approach to ICM resources and the five dimensions of “Citizen Access to Information”, discussed here. In this article we use examples from these four studies to demonstrate the variation in citizen access to information in developing countries, and illustrate the proposed dimensions and sub-dimensions of our approach." (Pages 19-20)
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"The data presented in this report are based on a survey conducted in April and May 2010 among Zambian adults age 15 and above. Using the 2000 Zambian National Census as the sampling frame and a stratified random sampling design, a nationally representative probability sample of 2,000 respondents wa
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s selected [...] This report is divided into three sections: Chapter 1 - Mass Media Access and Use: Common determinants of access (such as regional distribution, income, and available infrastructure); key issues in Zambians' media use habits, particularly use differences between designated "opinion leaders" and the general population. Chapter 2 - Barriers to Media Access and Use: Profiles of those Zambians lacking access to various mass media; analysis of obstacles to access. Chapter 3 - Media Outlet Preferences in Radio and Television: Audience and programming profiles of specific media outlets." (Page 5)
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"Nearly one woman in ten does not listen to radio at all. However, the results of the survey indicate that over half (51.4%) of women does not listen at all, or seldom listens to radio. This situation is not due to the competition from television, but rather to the fact that the majority of women do
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not have a radio and, to a lesser extent, to their core duties which leave them little time to listen to radio. The effect of the high impact of household core could be reduced if these women had their own radio sets. Indeed, an overwhelming majority of the women was classified as "housewife", which is not incompatible with listening to radio. Young people, in particular teenagers, have a lower level of access to information through radio. Health programs usually target this age group which should also be a focus for women promotion programs. It is all about women, who, while being still young, are becoming mothers and heads of a family. Their needs for information would seem to be thus more significant than those of other women. This is, however, the group that shows the least interest in radio. Moreover, radio management should see to it that these teenagers get more interested in their programs. This lack of keen interest from teenagers could be due to the fact that they have a more significant access to television. Women with lower incomes and those from the regions have the lowest rates of access to radio programs. These results tally with the low rate of radios owned by women. The results show a positive link between radio ownership rates and the percentage of women who listen to radio everyday. Very few female listeners (5%) contacted radio stations to take part in a program. This participation is somewhat easier for women who have access to telephone. However, the costs of communication could be a deterrent considering the low incomes of the population." (Executive summary)
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"The papers from the seventh conference of the International and Comparative Librarianship Group of the UK Library Association, held in Birmingham in September 1989, which examined the book crisis, shortage of reading materials, and the funding of library services in the countries of the South, with
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many parts of the less developed world turning into virtually bookless societies." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1398)
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