Fantastical tales used to end with “And they lived happily ever after”. But on the internet, they end with “And everyone clapped”.

I recall one of my 12th-grade teachers. From the crevices of my memory, she’s a God-fearing middle-aged woman who was strangely enthusiastic and concerned about what she reads on Facebook. 

According to her findings, the possession and illness of a young boy was allegedly caused by a crippling addiction to Mobile Legends. Her eyes widened and her voice riddled with worry that her own beloved students may be the next victims of a video game-summoned demon. I looked behind me, scanning the room filled with a cocktail of utter confusion, boredom, and amusement juxtaposed with my teacher’s certainty and conviction.

I glimpse my friend’s expression– slightly cringing but intent on hearing more. She catches me staring at her, and I find the both of us grinning in solidarity at the absurdity of a clearly untrue story. Facebook posts and low-effort articles exaggerating the “detrimental” effects of the cellphone to the point of pseudoscience and mythology are a tale as old as the invention of the cellphone itself. Though, time and time again, internet users both new and seasoned can still fall for a different fairytale told with the same tricks.

I had Media and Information Literacy (MIL) that same semester. Admittedly, it was one of the more forgettable classes sitting comfortably between the “pain in the neck subjects” and the easier subjects. Yet, looking back, it may be one of the most underrated and vital subjects to be taught in the 21st century. Since everyone is using the internet in one way or another, then everyone should be taught media and information literacy to navigate through its own unique ecosystem.

The hard sciences are engraved into the school curriculum as early as preschool to teach students about how the world functions–the human body, the circle of life, and the vast universe. The arts and basic humanities are taught to older students to hone creativity and cultivate an appreciation for culture. Media and information literacy is exclusive for senior high school students but with the rapid growth of internet access across the globe and all ages, the importance of media literacy for all ages is highlighted. As more and more young people are exposed to online media, they are further exposed to an overwhelming amount of information from what seems to be an infinite amount of sources. After all, the internet is a collection of strangers from different wrinkles on a map–the question of “who can I trust?” echoes louder and louder as more content is scrolled through like images on a kinetoscope. The skill of media literacy enhances critical thinking in identifying reliable sources of information because “trust me, bro” as a source is highly insufficient.

Online culture is both unpredictable and complex. A user lacking media literacy may easily misinterpret the unorthodox norms of internet culture such as the prevalence of sarcastic, ironic, and dry humor. Additionally, media literacy is crucial when analyzing and formulating opinions on relevant topics which is essential for creating a civil space for discussion in online spaces, and in the effective and ethical creation of content.

It is inevitable for fallacies to exist with truths, but media and information literacy skills can most definitely counteract them. This is why these skills are highly relevant in the 21st-century context, as media reaches a larger audience of all ages, media literacy should be introduced as an essential skill to people as young as preschool or elementary. The generation after us needs to master the skills needed to effectively and safely navigate through the complexities of both online and offline spaces to create content that hugs the world, think critically about pressing global and local issues and create solutions for problems that badly need addressing outside of keyboard clacking and mindlessly pressing share.