If you’re anything like me, then you will understand how valuable receiving information can be. I mean, we’re students at a public university, so most of us come here with that desire already. For me, this love of archiving information is not a new development. 

Ever since I was a child, I would scroll on Wikipedia leisurely or watch informative shows on PBS, rather than indulging in more lighthearted media like my 6-year-old friends were doing. I would watch TV and declare that as truth. 

If you were like me, after watching “Sid The Science Kid,” you’d happily share your newfound knowledge of how the world works with your friends and family, without even questioning the validity of the information you just received. You trusted this source to be true. I don’t blame us because we were innocent and naive children.

However, I’ve recently learned that there hasn’t been much change in how many of us receive information now versus when we were younger. We are at a point in our lives where we cannot be innocent or naive when it comes to what information we receive and believe.

Sure, we are literate and can read, but are we literate in what we read? 

There’s a difference, and it is important that we know and can pinpoint that difference. The phrase for this, which is not said nearly enough, is media literacy.

As we’ve grown older, we often make fun of previous generations. We laugh at our parents or grandparents for doing similar things we did as kids, with outlets such as Facebook. 

However, what if I told you that we do the same thing?

Sure, you might think to yourself, “No way! I’m too smart for that, and I know not to believe everything I see on Facebook.”

Yet we do the same thing as our parents and grandparents, but with different sources. Most notably, we do this with social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. 

From my own observations, I’ve seen how illiterate and quick to judge we can be.

For example, to touch on a recent issue, a content creator on TikTok took clips from the presidential debate and isolated them in an effort to skew the context of which the remarks were initially intended. 

This caused a stir of frustration for all viewers, regardless of political party affiliation, for either one of two reasons: 

1. The statement(s) in question infuriate the opposite party since what was said does not align with their views and beliefs. 

2. They frustrate the party that is stating such remarks, because due to it being taken out of context, it distorts the truth of the speech in its entirety, causing misinformation to be spread regarding the party. 

I see daily where people get very worked up about things that may or may not even be true, especially as highlighted in the comment sections. This proves as a shining example that people will believe almost anything they see on the internet. 

I know it is easy to understand how silly that may sound, as I’m sure we’ve been told that many times throughout our life. Yet it is also just as silly to continue to identify things as true without inquiring on their validity. 

Even certain news channels that we receive information from can impact what knowledge we obtain. Bias is everywhere, even in trusted news sectors.

Be careful and more mindful of this, especially in a time of our lives where an election season is upon us. We must be thoroughly educated and informed voters. But don’t be deceived, as this also applies beyond November. 

News is just as important in its interpretation as it is in its information. 

So next time someone tells you that “So and so said this,” go and see for yourself. Determine whether or not that was a direct quote or a lousy paraphrase.

I challenge you to apply this for yourself. Go back over the presidential debate and see what both candidates stated. Review the policies mentioned in the speeches for yourself and judge whether or not they were entirely truthful.

As we emerge to be the next generation of adults in this world, it is our personal responsibility to act on truth, not facts. Facts can change, but the truth never will.

So ask yourself, “Am I consuming facts, or am I consuming the truth?” 

A true literate reader will know the difference. 

Jeremiah Vecchioni is a freshman at UT this year studying secondary social studies education. He can be reached at [email protected]. 

Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.