NEWSRELEASE-PROJECTINFORMATIONLITERACY(PIL)

APRIL2,2019

NationalStudyonInformationLiteracyamongCollegeStudentsintheAgeofAlgorithms

SupportfromtheKnightFoundation,HarvardGraduateSchoolofEducation,andER&L

SantaRosa,Calif.–ProjectInformationLiteracy(PIL),anonprofitresearchinstitute,ismarkingits10thanniversarybylaunchinganationalstudylookingatthefutureofinformationliteracyamongcollegestudents.Theresearch,conductedbyAlisonHeadandBarbaraFister,willexaminetoday’sinformationenvironmentandtheimpactofoneofitsmostdefiningfeatures—algorithms—theendlesslinesofopaquecodingthatmakelightening-fastcalculationsanddecisionsforandaboutusthataffectthecourseofoureverydaylivesinbothhelpfulandunhelpfulways.GroundedinknowledgegainedfromPIL’sdecadeoflarge-scalestudiesonhowcollegestudentsfindanduseinformationforcourseworkandintheirpersonallives,andmorerecently,ontheinterplayofjournalism,newplatforms,andtrustinmedia,aspecialresearchreportwillsummoneducatorstoembracethechallengeofunderstandingnewformsandchannelsofinformationbeyondacademia.Asetofrecommendationswillbeofferedforthreegroups—librarians,educators,andjournalists—thatworkwhereinformationandyoungadultsintersect.“Whenlibrariansandeducatorsfirstadoptedinformationliteracyasanessentialeducationaloutcome,algorithm-drivenplatformslikeGoogle,Facebook,andYouTubedidnotexist,”saidDr.AlisonJ.Head,thedirectorofPILandaninformationscientistandaseniorresearcheratthemetaLABatHarvard.“Nowcolossalonlineplatformswiththeirinvisibleswitchesandfiltershavetremendouspotentialtoinfluenceouropportunities,whatweseeandlearn,whatwethink,andultimately,whoweare.”TheJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation,HarvardGraduateSchoolofEducation,andER&L,aleadinglibraryconference,aresponsoringPIL’slatestresearcheffort,theeleventhstudyfortheinfluentialPILproject.Newdatafrominterviewswithmorethan100studentsandfacultyonsixdifferentcollege

campusesacrossthecountrywillbeincluded.Datawillbecollectedaboutfacultyandstudentawarenessofblack-boxalgorithmsthataredramaticallyinfluencingtheinformationtheyencounterandimpactingtheirabilitytodistinguishfactsfromfalsehoodsinthenewsandinformationtheymayreceive.Concernsaboutthehiddenpowerofalgorithmshavecontinuedtomountinrecentmonthsforusersofpopularplatforms.Earlylastyear,abreakingnewsstoryrevealedCambridgeAnalyticausedpowerfulalgorithmstotrawlthroughmillionsofFacebookprofilesanddevelopatargetedcampaigntoswayusers’votinghabits.Morerecently,PinterestandYouTubearewrestlingwithdecisionsaboutcontentmoderationinthefaceofmisinformationaboutvaccinesandthelightning-fastspreadofextremistpropaganda.Evenplatformsthatcontrolthecomplexproprietarycodethatdetermineswhatweseecanbecaughtunpreparedwhenthesystemstheydesignedtopersuadeshoppersareusedtospreadnoxiousideologies.Studentsneedtolearnhowalgorithmsaffecttheinformationthatstreamsatthemconstantlythroughoutthedayinordertobetrulyinformationliterateinthe21stcentury.“Weareraisingcriticalquestionsatatimewhenhighereducationneedstopaymoreattentiontohowprofoundlyourinformationlandscapeischanging,”saidHead.“OurreportwillsummarizekeyfindingsfromadecadeofPIL’sstudiesofmorethan22,000U.S.studentswhileaskingsomedeeperquestionsaboutpreparingtoday’sstudentstoparticipateinsharingandcreatinginformationresponsiblyascitizensinachangingandchallengedworld.”Theopenaccessreport,dueoutinmid-December,willshedlightontheseandotherimportantissuesandmakerecommendationsforawayforwardintheageofalgorithms.ThispublicationwillbuilduponfindingsfromPIL’s2018large-scalenewsengagementstudy,whichHarvardGraduateSchoolofEducationandKnightFoundationalsofunded.KnightFoundationisanationalfoundationwithstronglocalrootsthatinvestsinjournalism,inthearts,andinthesuccessofcitieswherebrothersJohnS.andJamesL.Knightoncepublishednewspapers.Theirgoalistofosterinformedandengagedcommunities,whichtheybelieveareessentialforahealthydemocracy.Contact:Dr.AlisonJ.Head,Director,ProjectInformationLiteracy,http://projectinfolit.orgatalison@projectinfolit.org,707-800-7590