Glossary

Here's how terms are being used on this Site:

• Credibility = expertise + trustworthiness

• Information sources = websites, videos, etc.

• Media messages = news articles, social media posts, etc.

• Visual media messages = still images, videos, memes, etc.

• Visual representations of data = charts, graphs, etc. 

• Digital search tools = in 2023-2024, these include internet search engines, subscription databases, social media platforms, and generative AI-powered chatbots and search engines 

• Information ecosystem = interconnected flow of information with elements that drive particular messages to particular audiences, and which each individual participates in when they post, share, like, or otherwise engage with a media message

• Media landscape = similar to the information ecosystem, but with a focus on how people find out what's going on in the world

• Perspectives = lenses/filters through which we interpret the world around us

• Bias = distortion of perspectives that can lead to misinterpretations of information or misrepresentations of reality; can fall anywhere on a spectrum of bias