We live in a scroll culture. Students spend hours immersed in algorithm-driven feeds, passively consuming and actively interacting with headlines, memes, videos and out-of-context quotes. As educators in higher education, we’re watching a generation take in massive amounts of content – some of it emotionally manipulative, much of it unverified and, unfortunately, some of it purposely designed to mislead. The result isn’t just students who are sometimes misinformed but, more dangerously, students who internalise falsehoods without even realising it.
In an age where anyone can publish anything to a global audience in seconds, the ability to discern fact from fiction has never been more urgent – or more difficult. Misinformation doesn’t wait for peer review; it spreads fast, wrapped in emotional language, slick visuals and algorithmic amplification.
The irony is that while universities pride themselves on catalysing and internalising critical thinking, social media influencers, many without academic credentials, are often leading the charge in digital media literacy. Creators on platforms such as Instagram and YouTube are dissecting headlines, comparing sources and revealing media bias in formats that are accessible, engaging and often more effective than a semester-long syllabus. As educators, we have a mandate to take important lessons from this.
Cultivate platform literacy alongside traditional critical thinking
Social media platforms’ rapid sharing and ability to prioritise content have fundamentally altered the landscape of information dissemination. Take Instagram, for instance. Its algorithm is designed to amplify posts that are visually striking or emotionally provocative, because these attributes tend to generate higher levels of user interaction. While this model enhances user engagement, it also creates a structural vulnerability to misinformation. Content that is aesthetically appealing or emotionally charged is more likely to gain algorithmic traction, regardless of its accuracy. As a result, misleading or deceptive material can circulate widely simply because it is algorithmically advantaged.
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This dynamic underscores the need for educators and communication professionals to cultivate platform literacy alongside traditional critical thinking, equipping students to recognise how design choices and algorithmic incentives shape the flow of information. As an example, we might bring viral posts, reels and tweets into discussions to analyse them. We ask: what makes this post persuasive? Who benefits? What emotions does it provoke? What information is missing?
This hands-on approach taps into students’ lived digital experiences and helps them build an internal filter that functions in real time. They become more aware of the cues that signal manipulation; how colours, music or selective imagery can skew perception. It’s media literacy in practice, not just theory.
Adapt the way we present the information we instruct
We must reframe misinformation as a design problem. False information often succeeds because it looks better, feels more relatable and travels faster. Bad actors understand the algorithms. They know how to package lies into clickable content. Meanwhile, educators often present accurate information in uninspiring ways. If we want truth to compete, it needs to move at the speed of the scroll. It has to be emotionally intelligent, visually compelling and platform-savvy.
That doesn’t mean sacrificing depth or rigour. It means adapting the format and delivery. It means understanding that TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X each have distinct logic and vulnerabilities, and that students need to be fluent in these differences. This is platform literacy, not just critical thinking.
Teach ‘good’ scrolling habits to cultivate skepticism
In my classes, we tackle real-world misinformation, from deepfake videos to AI-generated hoaxes. Students are often shocked to learn that misinformation isn’t always political; it can be commercial fraud or social manipulation. This expands their understanding and reveals the stakes. We talk about how fear and outrage fuel virality, and how their own emotional responses are being hijacked.
To counter this, I teach students “pause and check” habits: stop scrolling. Ask who posted this. Reverse image search. Check the publication date. Is this too outrageous – or too perfect – to be true? These small steps help develop the instinct to verify before believing or sharing.
This also applies to academic journals and citations that can appear to be legitimate only to be later revealed to be disinformation. Artificial intelligence assists with hallucinated content that references non-existent journals or changes the citation of content. Students must be aware that AI cannot substitute for human knowledge.
Ultimately, this work is about more than spotting fakes. It’s about cultivating skepticism without cynicism, curiosity without naïveté, awareness without paralysis. We’re not trying to turn every student into a professional fact-checker; we’re trying to help them slow down, question and resist manipulation.
Our students are already in the ring, battling a constant barrage of headlines, memes and manipulated narratives. They don’t need us to point out that the digital landscape is chaotic; they live in it. What they need is training in how to consume critically and in how to create responsibly. The stakes are no longer academic; they are social, political and deeply personal. In a world ruled by the scroll, media literacy is a form of survival. Our role as educators is to ensure that students don’t just navigate this world, they shape it, with integrity and intention.
Cayce Myers is professor of public relations and director of graduate studies at the School of Communication at Virginia Tech.
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