(Mis)information, information literacy, and democracy Paths for pedagogy to foster informed citizenship

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Published Dec 7, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.11645/15.3.2947

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Pascal Lupien
Department of Political Science, Brock University
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6698-9910 Lorna Rourke
St. Jerome's University

Abstract

The current political climate is characterized by an alarming pattern of global democratic regression driven by authoritarian populist leaders who deploy vast misinformation campaigns. These offensives are successful when the majority of the population lack skills that would allow them to think critically about information in the political sphere, to identify misinformation, and therefore to fully exercise democratic citizenship. Political science has theorized the link between information and power and information professionals understand the cognitive decision-making process involved in processing information, but these two literatures rarely intersect. This paper interrogates the links between information literacy (IL) and the rise of authoritarian populism in order to advance the development of a new transtheoretical model that links political science (which studies power), information science, and critical pedagogy to suggest new paths for teaching and research. We call for a collaborative research and teaching agenda, grounded in a holistic understanding of information as power, that will contribute to achieving a more informed citizenship and promoting a more inclusive democracy.

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How to Cite
LUPIEN, Pascal; ROURKE, Lorna. (Mis)information, information literacy, and democracy. Journal of Information Literacy, [S.l.], v. 15, n. 3, p. 56-81, dec. 2021. ISSN 1750-5968. Available at: <https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/JIL/article/view/PRA-V15-I3-4>. Date accessed: 29 may 2023. doi: https://doi.org/10.11645/15.3.2947.
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Issue
Vol 15 No 3 (2021): Journal of Information Literacy
Section
Research articles (peer-reviewed articles)
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