Giving evidence to the House of Lord’s Communications and Digital Committee’s inquiry on media literacy, Matteo Bergamini, CEO and Founder of Shout Out UK, articulated the need for a comprehensive and dynamic strategy to address this critical issue.
In his contributions to the discussion, Matteo underlined the importance of tailoring media literacy training to suit the diverse needs of various groups. He highlighted the time constraints faced by parents, for example, advocating for accessible and time-efficient training methods to ensure better engagement.
‘Parents in general … tend to be quite time poor,’ Matteo observed, emphasizing the need to move away from long-form training sessions that parents often cannot attend.
Recognising the digital landscape’s ever increasing influence, Matteo also stressed the need to initiate media literacy education at a young age.
‘If we do not get there first, an online influencer or someone else might,’ Matteo warned, highlighting the necessity of proactive intervention.
Matteo championed intergenerational learning, showcasing its effectiveness in a SOUK project for the UK Home Office project which used the ‘Preventing Radicalisation’ framework. In this initiative, workshops and resources were provided for both young people and their parents, fostering a shared learning experience and breaking down the barriers between generations.
‘One of the things that we found works really well in engaging with parents and carers is that, if you frame it as, “You’re helping your children learn”, they often have the spillover benefit of learning themselves,” Matteo explained.
Furthermore, Matteo highlighted the crucial role of digital campaigns in disseminating media literacy messages to a wider audience. He cited SOUK’s successful ‘Dismiss’ campaign, a collaboration with Ofcom and the Electoral Commission, which used short-form videos and social media graphics to educate the public about political disinformation, troll farms, and bot behavior.
‘The main focus of that was on political disinformation; it was a series of short-form videos and bits of information around understanding troll farms and what bot habits look like—those really small titbits of information’.
Addressing the role of tech platforms, Matteo acknowledged their potential to amplify media literacy initiatives through advertising and partnerships. However, he cautioned against relying solely on these platforms for media literacy provision, emphasising the inherent possible conflict of interest in self-regulation.
‘There needs to be caution when companies are then providing media literacy services. You cannot regulate yourself, and when you are providing media literacy which is meant to critically analyse the information that is essentially on your platform, there is a potential conflict of interest there’, Matteo warned.
Matteo joined his fellow witnesses in advocating for stronger collaboration between government departments and more consistent, long-term funding for media literacy programmes. He highlighted the counterproductive nature of short-term pilot projects and the detrimental impact of funding uncertainty on the sustainability of media literacy providers.
‘It is closing some down, to put it bluntly,’ Matteo noted, emphasising the urgent need for a more sustainable funding model.
Matteo’s testimony underscored Shout Out UK’s commitment to fostering media literacy and empowering individuals to navigate the complexities of the modern information landscape.
