Critical Ignoring as a Core Competence for Digital Citizens

Area of Science:

• Digital Information Literacy
• Cognitive Psychology
• Media Studies

Background:

• Online information environments are saturated with low-quality and misleading content.
• Such content often exploits emotions like curiosity, outrage, and anger to capture attention.
• Resisting harmful online information requires developing new cognitive strategies and mental habits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and advocate for the concept of "critical ignoring" as a vital component of digital information literacy.
• To review cognitive strategies that enable individuals to effectively ignore detrimental online content.
• To propose integrating critical ignoring into educational curricula for digital literacy.

Main Methods:

• Review of cognitive strategies for critical ignoring.
• Discussion of self-nudging (environmental modification) to avoid digital temptations.
• Explanation of lateral reading (external source verification) for credibility assessment.
• Introduction of the "do-not-feed-the-trolls" heuristic to disengage from malicious actors.

Main Results:

• Identified three key cognitive strategies for implementing critical ignoring: self-nudging, lateral reading, and the do-not-feed-the-trolls heuristic.
• Argued that these strategies empower users to manage their attention and avoid harmful online content.
• Highlighted the necessity of a pedagogical shift in education to include the skill of ignoring.

Conclusions:

• Critical ignoring is an essential competence for navigating the modern digital landscape and combating information disorders.
• Educational curricula should incorporate critical ignoring to equip students with skills to manage attention effectively.
• Embracing critical ignoring empowers individuals to protect themselves from the negative impacts of the attention economy.