Presentation for the Plano/Richardson Library Expo October 18th, 2013

1. Presented by Neil Krasnoff
@txlibraryguy
Plano ISD and Richardson ISD Library Expo
October 18th, 2013

2. What this presentation is NOT!
An Introduction to the wonderful
world of Twitter
A feel-good talk about engaging
students with Social Media
A presentation with definite answers

3. What this presentation IS!
 A speculative, hopefully thought provoking
discussion of the future of information gathering
and research in a social media universe
 A series of provocative questions to ask
yourselves as well as students.
 Stories from my personal experience
 A few concrete useful ideas that you can develop
and refine in your practice

4. My Biography (going backwards)
40-something dad of a 1-year old
On Twitter (@txlibraryguy) since 2010
On Facebook since 2008
A High School Librarian since 2001
Began education career as science teacher 1994
Lifelong introvert, learner and amateur researcher

5. Driving Question for today
In the complex Internet universe
wrought by social media, how can
librarians effectively promote
information literacy and better
online behavior?

6. Problems and Questions about
using Social Media in Education
 Cyberbullying, Predators and other Dangers cause
schools and educators to emphasize the threats and
negative aspects or attempt to limit Social Media
 Generation Gap between how Teens perceive and use
Social Media vs. How adults use it and how they want
teens to use it.
 Cliques, Information Bubbles, Conspiracy Communities
and Confirmation Bias online make promoting rationality
about information even more difficult. This is the human
condition and applies to teens, young adults and older
adults.

7. Twitter is ambiguous and complicated, full
of duplicity, cruelty and deception, but also
wonder, discovery and friendship
Kind of like….Life!
Photo adapted from Social Sidekick: http://www.flickr.com/photos/socialsidekick/4765586430/

8. My actual experiences of
students Twitter and Google+
Good
 Student driven Twitter
 Gossip and bullying leading to
campaign to encourage kid not
to transfer to another school
 Better knowledge of students
that I don’t see in person
 A venue to promote reading of
non-fiction Web sources
 Students find ways of meeting
urgent social needs
two actual fights at school
 Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll
 Lots of distraction and wasted
class time
 Student created fake Twitter
account of a teacher making
highly inappropriate comments

9. Social Media Generation Gap
Adult World
Teens
#YOLO!
#ImAfraidtoLoseMyJob
Gap of goals, expectation and norms

10. Social Media Generation Gap
Teens
Adult/Business World
 Fled Facebook and joined
 Joined LinkedIn when it
Twitter to avoid parents
 Flaunt high-risk behavior when
only friends are watching
 Concerned with social rewards
 Social pressure is often to avoid
productive work and serious
study
became best venue for job
seekers
 hide any high risk behavior
from bosses and co-workers
 Concerned with financial,
career rewards
 Must give impression of focus
and productivity

11. We can not bridge the Generation Gap…
 By telling students only what not to do.
 By telling them they should immediately start
acting like adult professionals
 By judging instead of listening
But librarians can teach the next generation …
 By listening to students in person and on social media
 By patiently modeling and teaching better ways of thinking
and better online habits
 By creating compelling learning experiences
 By demonstrating enthusiasm for role as Information
Professionals!

12. Information Literacy Instruction before Twitter
• Focus on library as
more credible than
internet
• Lesson highlighting
internet hoaxes
and library
databases as
antidote to being
fooled
• Wikipedia = DEVIL
Fake, Static
Internet Sites
Save the Pacific
Northwest Tree Octopus
Malepregnancy.com

13. Changes Wrought by Twitter
Before Twitter
In Twitter era
In print world, ‘current’ could mean last
year or last month or last week
Information from yesterday or minutes
ago is often no longer current
Selling point of library databases was
credibility, superior content and ease of
citation, determining authorship, etc.
Library databases are free of noise and
distraction. Better environment for
deeper learning in addition to
predictability and reliability.
Credibility synonymous with wellestablished authors and publishers and
respected journals
Twitter users earn credibility through
self-promotion and users must use their
own methods to decide who is credible
Information search and social
networking separate
Information and social networking interlinked, often related to marketing and
political persuasion

14. Corresponding
Info Lit Strategies
Twitter-Era
Characteristics
Immediacy and
instant reaction
• Teach triangulation of sources and ‘crap detection’
• Teach habits such as focus and skepticism that may
prevent embarrassing reactions and increase
productivity
Individual
ascendant over
the Institutions
Blending of social
identity and
information
• Compare/Contrast credibility and popularity
• Teach identifying propaganda & PR on social media
• Teach value of traditional media, respected
institutions other gate keepers
• Teach about information bubbles, conspiracy
thinking and confirmation bias
• Conduct Role Playing activities

15. Example of Twitter hoax and
costly immediate reaction
1. AP Twitter Hacked
2. Fake Tweet Sent
3. Retweeted by over 1000 people
4. AI Stock Trading Programs React
If only people would Triangulate
before retweeting!
April 23, 2013
Stock Market Blip

16. Train students to evaluate before acting!
 “Think before retweeting”
Just as important for malicious, untrue gossip as for news and
financial information
 Triangulate before accepting as true
This means finding 3 unconnected sources. If a source refers
to another source, that doesn’t count.
 ‘Crap Detection’ is a virtue worth promoting! Play
games where the object is to identify crap using training
and carefully honed instincts

17. Example of Crap Detection Activity:
How do you know …
which is real….
and which is Photoshop?

18. The Individual vs. the Institution
Barack Obama
Over 38 Million Followers
Democratic Party
Only 260,497 Followers

19. Comparing two ‘individuals’
“Barack Obama”
38 million followers
“Taylor Swift”
35 million followers
• Twitter account run by highly paid PR
• Twitter account run or vetted by
professionals
highly paid PR professional
• A communication channel for engaging • A commercial channels to sell music
audience in order to gain political clout
and products
• Followers deluded into thinking they
• Transparent disclosure of nature of
account
are connected to singer and she may
be romantically available to them

20. Medical Information
Dr. Oz
3.1 Million Followers
Highly-regarded cardiac surgeon
with a penchant for selfpromotion and sensationalism
Mayo Clinic
640,000 Followers
The most highly regarded
comprehensive hospital in the
world

21. Let’s not neglect popular Media Outlets!
CNN (Breaking News)
12.2 Million Followers
New York Times
8.7 Million followers
Time Magazine
4.7 Million followers
The Economist
3.4 Million followers
Wired Magazine
2 Million followers
These organizations depend on advertising, but would lose
credibility and readers without dependable fact-checked reporting

22. Apple Screw Hoax
A lesson on the
importance of
professional FactCheckers and
traditional media
on Twitter

23. Apple Screw Hoax
Timeline August, 2012
 Hoax masters in Sweden post fake internal email from
Apple with pictures and schematics of ‘asymmetric’ screw
to Reddit. Coincides with morning in Silicon Valley
 Spreads virally via Reddit to blogs and then Twitter. DIY
Jailbreakers and Tech insiders are main audience.
 Mainstream news Websites including Yahoo and Wired
pick up story by evening
 Rumor thrives and Twitter and millions believe story for
days.

24. So does popularity = credibility?
 Research (Edwards, C. et al) suggests that Klout score
(largely a function of following) has a large effect on
perceived credibility
 Dr. Oz is likely perceived as more credible than a Mayo
Clinic and far more influential than National Library of
Medicine (Only 25,000 followers)
 Asking students questions about connection between
credibility and popularity is a potentially powerful
instructional technique!
 Influence and Credibility closely linked on Twitter, and this
is something for librarians to work on!

25. Let’s discuss Ishtar!
Dangerous Business
(lyrics and music by Paul Williams. .
Telling the truth can be dangerous business.
Honest and popular don't go hand in hand.
If you admit that you can play the accordion,
No one'll hire you in a rock 'n' roll band.

26. The Takeaways about Twitter
 Promotion and propaganda dominate Twitter
 Twitter PR initiatives are most successful when fronted by




a charismatic and famous individual
There is a complex interplay between popularity,
influence and credibility
Institutions are vested in maintaining credibility while
individuals are more prone to self-promotion
There is nothing smarter than checking-facts and reading
deeply into issues
All of these points provide material for lesson plans!

27. Conspiracy Theories, Information
Bubbles and Confirmation Bias
 Because Twitter gives every user an uncensored platform, they
are perfect venue for conspiracy-minded people to publicize
their version of truth and congregate with like-minded
individuals
 Because political beliefs are closely linked to social identity,
people often live in “Information Bubbles” on the internet. For
example, we may live in a “Libraries will never be obsolete”
bubble.
 There is an innate human tendency toward confirmation bias,
where affirming information is savored and consumed and nonaffirming information is disregarded.

28. Impenetrable Conspiracy Bubbles
Confirmation
Bias
Information
Bubble
Conspiracy
Theories

29. A Look at Anti-Vacc Conspiracy
 Many individuals, often those born with autism or their parents,
posit that toxic substances in vaccines cause their troubles. They
believe in a conspiracy involving the Government,
pharmaceutical companies and doctors
 Anti-Vacc communities form all over Internet where information
about vaccine dangers are spread. This is an information
bubble. Its very easy to enter this bubble on YouTube and Social
Media
 Anti-Vacc activists continually publish information reflecting
their confirmation bias ignoring the preponderance of scientific
evidence that disproves their core claims. Some of this
“evidence” is even from the National Institute of Health!

30. Vaccination Information Breakdown
Search Entity
Anti-Vacc results
“Vaccines” (top
10)
0/10
7/10
9/10
(discounting
results for band
called “Vaccines”)
(discounting results
for band called
“Vaccines”)
1st
8th
Ranking of top
Pro-Vaccine
Result
1st
Top Anti-Vaccine
result activity
NA
42 Tweets
4,277 followers
62,726 Views
Top Pro-Vaccine
Result activity
NA
92 Retweets
6,146 followers
33,949 Views

31. Pro-Vaccine vs. Anti-Vaccine
Influencers on Twitter
Pro-Vaccine influencers
Anti-Vaccine influencers
Gates Foundation
Over 1 million followers
Jenny McCarthy
Over 1 Million followers
UN World Health Organization
950,000 followers
Info Wars-Alex Jones
240,000 followers

32. What do Hoaxes and Conspiracies tell
us about Twitter as an info source?
While perpetuators of bogus information are
active on Twitter, the majority of users’ concern
for their reputation is a powerful preventer of the
spread of false rumors.
Anonymity is not as prevalent as on YouTube
where conspiracies and hoaxes thrive.
For more information about the Anti-Vaccine issue on Twitter
see: http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/if-you-wantto-participate-in-the-vaccine-debate-head-to-twitter/

33. How should librarians address
conspiracy theories?
Option 1
Teach students to only use Library Databases where
conspiracy theorists are almost completely absent.
OR
Option 2
Teach students to recognize conspiracy theories prevalent
on the Internet make them aware of confirmation bias
and information bubbles.

34. Social Identity & Information on Twitter
If Twitter is full of propaganda, hoaxes, PR & conspiracy theories…
And if Twitter is full of real people doing real things…
And if Twitter is a where people try out new identities…
And if Twitter is a place where people also spread useful
information about almost every topic….
Is it Fiction or Non-Fiction?

35. Twitter, Fiction and Character
 My upcoming lesson on Character Study on Twitter in




Theater class
Lesson could be adapted to English and literary fiction
Students reflect on question if its easier to be a fictional
character on Twitter vs. being themselves
Students can make delve into motivation and moods
behind Tweets of characters as well as classmates
Let student’s draw their own conclusions about Twitter as
Fiction or Non-Fiction

36. Corresponding
Info Lit Strategies
Twitter-Era
Characteristics
Immediacy and
instant reaction
• Teach triangulation of sources and ‘crap detection’
• Teach habits such as focus and skepticism that may
prevent embarrassing reactions and increase
productivity
Individual
ascendant over
the Institutions
Blending of social
identity and
information
• Compare/Contrast credibility and popularity
• Teach identifying propaganda & PR on social media
• Teach value of traditional media, respected
institutions other gate keepers
• Teach about information bubbles, conspiracy
thinking and confirmation bias
• Conduct Role Playing activities

37. Questions to ask students continually
 Are people online real or




are they actors?
Is popularity the same as
credibility?
Are you living in a bubble
of information?
Are you fighting your
confirmation bias?
Is this true?

38. 1. Johnson, Clay A. The Information Diet.
Sebastopol: O'REILLY MEDIA, INC, USA, 2012.
Print.
Information Bubbles and online habits
2. Rheingold, Howard. Net Smart: How to Thrive
Online. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2012. Print.
‘Crap Detection’ and metacognitive strategies

39. Instead of focusing on the abundant
pathological online behaviors among teens and
young adults, stay focused on the fact that
young people are developing social and
intellectual skills. You have the capability of
influencing their futures, but be sure to always
listen to your audience and learn from them!
For more of my thoughts see my Easy Bib Webinar, “Twitter in the
Classroom on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfSuf5wOvfk