I Make Digital Issues Tangible
Through play we can challenge how we understand the complex.
Play, Disinformation, or Media Literacy Anyone?
After training to be a teacher I noticed that so many people form understanding beyond classrooms but on smartphones, social media, and digitally mediated lives. Yet, we have limited resources to help us navigate it. I want to change that through play. When we play we are asked to think about ourselves, challenge and discuss our surroundings, and explore possibilities, let's harness that to deal with big issues like how media gets manipulated.
Today, I am studying these ideas as a Fulbright and FRQSC PhD candidate in Communications at Concordia University in Montréal. Simply, I look at where play and disinformation intersect. I ask who is playing with us by manipulating what we say, and how we can play to understand these spaces. I make, play, and analyze media literacy games. I look at the gaps in existing media literacy games, and compare that to disinformation networks, to design tools that can help inform and simulate these highly networked environments.
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My work has led to some incredible collaborations talking with embassies, companies, governments, and universities about the harms of media manipulation, our role, and how we can respond. For the public, I have made various boardgames (i.e. Lizards and Lies) and learning tools, and given public talks with students of all ages. As someone studying false and manipulated content, I believe I need to be as public as I can public as I can about my work, so if you have questions, want support in these conversations, would like to learn more, or just share what you are doing reach out. Don't be shy, because curiosity is the first step to understanding.
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