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Scenario Cards -- Media Literacy

Use these to practice applying media literacy skills. All scenarios use fictional content.

The Shocking Video​

Scenario: Alex's friend texts: "You have to see this video -- a dog that can count to 100!" The video has 2 million views and shows a dog barking at what looks like number cards. The comments say "This is REAL! I saw it on the news."

Discussion:

  • What would a media-literate person do before sharing this?
  • What are two things you could check?
  • Does 2 million views make something more likely to be true?

Extension: Practice reverse image search or lateral reading on a fictional or real viral claim.

The Free Game​

Scenario: Sam downloads a free game. It shows an ad every 90 seconds. Sam asks: "Why is this game free? Who pays for it?"

Discussion:

  • What is the business model of a free app?
  • Who is Sam, as a user -- a customer or a product?
  • What information might the app be collecting?

Extension: Read the permissions list for one real free app on your device.

The Same Event, Two Headlines​

Scenario: Two fictional news sites report on the same event -- a protest at city hall. Site A says: "Community Members Rally for Change." Site B says: "Dozens Disrupt City Hall Operations."

Discussion:

  • What choices did each site make?
  • What is the same in both stories? What is different?
  • What would you want to know before deciding which framing is more accurate?

Extension: Find two real stories about the same event and compare the headlines.

The Algorithm Surprise​

Scenario: Jordan spent a week watching cooking videos. Now Jordan's entire recommended feed is cooking videos. Jordan searches for a news story and cannot find it anywhere.

Discussion:

  • Why is Jordan's feed showing only cooking content?
  • What does an algorithm assume about Jordan's interests?
  • What might Jordan be missing?

Extension: Change what you "like" or watch for one day and observe what changes in recommendations.

The Perfect Product​

Scenario: A social media post shows a person smiling with a bottle of "SuperFocus Juice" and says "This changed my life -- I can study for 8 hours now without getting tired!" The post has a tag at the bottom: #ad #sponsored.

Discussion:

  • What is this post trying to do?
  • What makes it persuasive?
  • What questions would you ask before believing the claim?

Extension: Find three sponsored posts and identify the persuasion technique used in each.

The Old Photo​

Scenario: A photo circulates claiming to show a current event. The caption says "Look what happened today!" A friend sends it to you, very upset. The photo actually shows an event from 10 years ago.

Discussion:

  • How could you check whether this photo is current or old?
  • What harm can come from sharing it?
  • What should you tell your friend?

Extension: Practice reverse image search on one image to check when and where it was first published.