THE IMPORTANCE OF MEDIA EDUCATION IN COMBATING FAKE NEWS

To ensure the citizens have the analytical and communication skills required to succeed in the 21st century at their disposal requires a comprehensive plan which will consider digital and media literacy a basic life skill and will integrate this skill into campaigns designed to support curricula and social initiatives. Whether it's computers with touchscreens or smartphones, the access to information does not automatically mean the users know how to effectively use these tools in a way that will be beneficial to their daily lives. Everyone should benefit from the ability to gain access, analyze and create digital and medial content with ingenuity and in a socially responsible way. Digital and media literacy should be considered critical at all levels of education in a way that would support the development of Slovak population in this digital age. More than ever before, the people living in this day and age need to allocate the limited resource that is human attention to the quality and valuable news that are actually important and bring value into their lives. With the increased usage of social media, especially for the purpose of communication, there is also an increase in the sharing of fake news, hoaxes and other half-truths. Through social media, disinformation can spread very quickly, while the ability of users to see through it is significantly limited.