“Fake news” is not a contemporary phenomenon but it has always existed. Today, the Internet has multiplied exponentially the possibility of spreading news, true and false, all over the world. The rapid spread of the Covid19 pandemic has multiplied the possibility of accessing false news that, in a moment, can go around the world, bringing the unaware and unequipped user to believe it. Exposing citizens to large-scale disinformation, including misleading or blatantly false information, is a major challenge for Europe. Seniors are among the most more vulnerable and permeable to bad information. Because of the speed of change, in fact, they cannot keep the pace of the digital transformation induced by fast-evolving media technologies that are most natural to a digital native. The FI.DO project aims at FIthing the fake news and DisinfOrmation by improving seniors’ digital skills and by developing tools for trainers. The main project target is represented by those who, although falling into the “senior” category, have already developed a certain knowledge of the digital world. This knowledge derives, however, from the practical use of the tools and it is often not supported by any theory or specific preparation. Seniors have tumbled into a digital age whose mechanisms they have difficulty in recognizing. Through the arts (2 partners belong to the Photography/Magazines and Film Production sectors), creativity (1 partner have experience in the management and production of IT contents and social media, as well as in the creation of videogames) and the scientific support given by a University, the project will carry out innovative practices (activities and Intellectual Outputs) aimed at supporting the skills development of seniors and the skills development of trainers (4 partners are Adult Educational organizations). A new approach - Training Method, I.O. 1 - will be developed thanks to the specific and technical contribution of all partners. The Training Method will be evaluated and assessed during the realization of the Living Labs, interactive workshops where seniors will have the opportunity to discuss the topic of the project and to experience simple practical exercises with mass communication experts. Other Intellectual Outputs are a Manual, that will support teaching staff for adults to develop their skills related to the project's theme and a Videogame (a serious one!). An educational creative tool addressed to seniors, capable to create a pleasant training experience in order to develop competences. As the Training Method, also the videogame will be evaluated by the seniors during a living lab. In total, the FI.DO project will involve 180 participant seniors in the 4 participating countries. The project will have an impact at a different level, both on a short and long term. On a short-term perspective: a) Improvement/development of media literacy skills of senior participants; b) Knowledge acquisition and dissemination about the "real" consequences of "virtual" fake news. On a long-term perspective: a) to minimize the social, financial and political impact of the fake news phenomenon all around Europe.
With the design of the project objectives, we aimed to enhance seniors’ digital skills. In this regard, the project team developed innovative practices (activities and Intellectual Outputs) aimed at supporting the skill improvement of seniors and the development of trainers in adult education working with media literacy and digital literacy topics. During the project, we wanted the senior citizens to learn the digital age's mechanisms, which would help them manage digital tools differently and more knowingly, as the Web is fraught with numerous pitfalls. In addition, we wanted to prepare an excellent selection of resources (for seniors and adult education practitioners alike) and enable users to benefit from them in the best possible way—improvement of skills in the FI.DO project focused on those necessary to recognize fake news and disinformation. Therefore, we believe that the Training Method and the Manual became valuable tools for practitioners in Adult Education to develop their competences in the field of media and digital literacy topics, specifically on the themes concerning fake news and disinformation.
The project stems from the idea that the Internet has not only vastly increased the volume and variety of news available to citizens but has also profoundly changed how citizens access and encounter news. New technologies can be used, notably through social media, to disseminate disinformation on a scale and with unprecedented speed and precision targeting, creating personalised information spheres and becoming powerful echo chambers for disinformation campaigns. Online platforms play a key role in the spread and amplification of online disinformation. Because of the speed of change, seniors cannot keep pace with the digital transformation induced by fast-evolving media technologies. The present information age, therefore, requires lifelong learning in terms of media literacy, in order to reduce social exclusion, as explained by the European Digital Agenda. To achieve this, it was necessary to intervene on various levels and empower users of the online platform services, making them aware and providing them with the tools to have a critical approach to the problem. Media and computer literacy are in this way preventive, rather than reactive, measures that generate critical thinking skills that are crucial for the 21st century.