Interactions Through Digital Media Can Have a Real Impact

The opening scene shows a cute, white robot-like character peeking out from behind a turquoise circle. This leads to the title card for ‘Digital Literacy 101.’ The text underneath reads, ‘Interactions Through Digital Media Can Have a Real Impact.’

The video then presents different cartoon figures using their phones, conveying how digital media can affect behavior, perceptions, beliefs, and feelings. We see groups of people on their phones, and a photo from a phone being circulated widely across other phones. One character looks shocked after seeing something on his phone.

The narrator points out that a seemingly funny photo or joking text might not be perceived the same way by everyone. A character is shown experiencing a range of emotions, including happiness, surprise, anger, and sadness, to illustrate how online communication can be misinterpreted due to the lack of facial expressions, tone of voice, and other contextual cues.

The video emphasizes that because people often feel anonymous online, they might act differently, posting or saying things they normally wouldn’t. It underscores that laws, morals, and rights still apply in the digital world.

On a purple background, a silhouette crowd stands in the background as a girl looks sadly at her phone, speech bubbles indicate words are being said.

The latter half of the video strikes a more positive tone. A woman with red hair acts as an example of an individual capable of creating a large, empowered shadow for a girl, or being involved in communities, connecting with experts, and contributing to making the world a better place. The video concludes with the words ‘Be aware and be smart. Digital media smart’ and the logos for ‘Digital Literacy 101’ and ‘Media Smarts.’ The video prompts us to think about times when something online was misunderstood and how we can avoid unintentionally hurting people’s feelings.