Misinformation - The Cost of Careless Clicks in a Connected World
Shelley Metcalfe |
TEDxMacclesfield
• May 2019
With the rapid rise of ‘fake news’ and online misinformation overshadowing all aspects of modern life, Shelley Metcalfe was struck by how little we are doing to prepare our children to navigate the unreliable or outright mendacious online world that they will be living in. Researching the core reasons why human beings are so susceptible to believing and spreading misinformation, she offers some pragmatic tips for how we can improve our social media use and develop our ‘digital literacy’.
Shelley Metcalfe is co-founder of The Digital Life Skills Company – a social enterprise that teaches children and young people digital information literacy skills, equipping them to access reliable information and avoid misleading media online. Metcalfe spent 20 years working in strategic, creative and operational roles in blue chip, start-up and third-sector environments. Her career began in the media, leading the marketing effort in youth magazines including Smash Hits, Sky and The Face.
With a degree in English and Philosophy, Metcalfe returned to education in 2008 to take an MSc in Responsible Business Practice, and went on to provide consultancy to not-for-profit and for-purpose organisations. She was Marketing Director (pro bono) for Macclesfield Barnaby Festival and served on its Board until 2016.