SCIMILIT

Lesson 1: Legal, Ethical and Societal Issues in Media and Information Literacy: Copyright, Plagiarism,
Cyber Bullying, Computer Addiction, Digital Divide

Digital Divide

- It is an economic inequality between groups in terms of access to, use of, or knowledge of ICT.
- The divide within countries (such as the digital divide in the United States) can refer to
inequalities between individuals, households, businesses, and geographic areas at different
socioeconomic (and other demographic) levels.

According to Aleph Molinari, there are three main factors why the Digital Divide happens:

- Lack of access due to affordability

- Lack of knowledge on how to use the technology
- Lack of knowledge of the benefits of the technology.

5 Causes of Digital Divide

- Lack of ready access to the Internet, and the ability to pay for it.
- Lack of opportunity to learning digital literacy at a younger age through exposure.
- Expenses for hardware, including computers, mobile devices, etc.
- Motivation: having enough spare time to learn, and general interest.
- Lack of interest in actively following technology trends on the Internet.

Villanueva (2022). in an article in Philippine Star Global, wrote that “Over 63 million internet
users in the country have been recorded as of January 2021 – which is more than half the
population – and over 75 million mobile users. With these numbers, we may think that almost
everybody has equal access to internet services and digital finance. However, majority of Filipinos
still remain underserved, financially excluded, and disconnected.”

Computer Addiction

- It refers to the excessive use of computers to the extent that it interferes with daily life.
- This excessive use may, for example, interfere with work or sleep, resulting in problems with
social interaction, or affect mood, relationships, and thought processes.
- In a study conducted by the Department of Adult Psychiatry in the Poland Medical University
published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information website, findings showed that
Internet addiction was seen to be quite popular and common among young people, especially
those who were only children.
- In fact, every fourth child is addicted to the Internet.
- Whenever Internet “addicts” feel overwhelmed, stressed, depressed, lonely or anxious, they
seek solace and escape from using their computers and surfing the internet.
- In a study conducted at the University of Iowa, it was found out that Internet addiction is
relatively common among males ages 20 to 30 years old who are suffering from depression.
- Certain people are predisposed to having a computer or Internet addiction, such as those who
suffer from anxiety and depression.
- Their lack of emotional support means they turn to the Internet to fill this need.
 - There are also those who have a history of other types of addiction.
- Even being stressed and unhappy can contribute greatly to the development of a computer or
Internet addiction.
- People who are overly shy and cannot easily relate to their peers are also at a higher risk of
developing a computer or Internet addiction.

Cyber Bullying

- This is bullying that takes place online, or using electronic technology such as cell phones,
computers, and tablets over communication tools including social media sites, text messages,
chat, and websites.
- Examples of cyber bullying: text messages or emails composed to insult or demean; rumors or
false statements spread by email or posted on social networking sites; and humiliating photos,
videos, websites, or fake profiles deliberately shared across social media.
- The Cyberbullying research Center formally defines it as “willful and repeated harm inflicted
through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices”
- Willful: The behavior has to be deliberate, not accidental.
- Repeated: Bullying reflects a pattern of behavior, not just one isolated incident.
- Harm: The target must perceive that harm was inflicted.
- Computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices: This, of course, is what differentiates
cyberbullying from traditional bullying

Fair Use Guidelines

- In its most general sense, a fair use is any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and
“transformative” purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a copyrighted work.
- Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright owner.
- In other words, fair use is a defense against a claim of copyright infringement.
- If your use qualifies as a fair use, then it would not be considered an infringement.
- Fair use gives users the right to use copyrighted material without permission under certain
circumstances.
- If a use is fair, the user need not notify or seek permission from the copyright holder.

4 Factors for Fair Use

- The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is
for nonprofit educational purposes;
- The nature of the copyrighted work;
- The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a
whole; and
- The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Plagiarism

- This refers to an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of
another author without authorization; the representation of that author's work as one's own, as
by not crediting the original author.
 - Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, with or without their
consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement.
- Plagiarism may be intentional or reckless, or unintentional, but under the regulations for
examinations, intentional or reckless plagiarism is still equivalent to disciplinary offence.

Forms of Plagiarism

- Verbatim (word for word) quotation without clear acknowledgement

1. Quotations must always be identified as such by the use of either quotation marks or
indentation, and with full referencing of the sources cited.
- Paraphrasing
1. Paraphrasing the work of others by altering a few words and changing their order, or by closely
following the structure of their argument, is plagiarism if you do not give due acknowledgement
to the author whose work you are using.
- Inaccurate citation
1. Citing sources correctly, according to the conventions of your discipline is necessary, as well as
listing your sources (i.e. in a bibliography), you must indicate, using a footnote or an in-text
reference, where a quoted passage comes from.
2. Additionally, you should not include anything in your references or bibliography that you have
not actually consulted.
- Use of material written by professional agencies or other persons
1. You should neither make use of professional agencies in the production of your work nor submit
material which has been written for you even with the consent of the person who has written it.
2. It is vital to your intellectual training and development that you should undertake the research
process unaided.
- Auto-plagiarism
1. Note that you must not submit work for assessment that you have already submitted (partially
or in full), either for your current course or for another qualification of this, or any other,
university, unless this is specifically provided for in the special regulations for your course.
2. Where earlier work by you is citable (i.e. it has already been published), you must reference it
clearly.
3. Identical pieces of work submitted concurrently will also be considered to be auto-plagiarism.

Why does Plagiarism Matter?

- Plagiarism is a breach of academic integrity.

- It is a principle of intellectual honesty that all members of the academic community should
acknowledge their debt to the originators of the ideas, words, and data which form the basis for
their own work.
- Passing off another’s work as your own is not only poor scholarship, but also means that you
have failed to complete the learning process.
- Plagiarism is unethical and can have serious consequences for your future career; it also
undermines the standards of your institution and of the degrees it issues.
Copyright

- This is a legal device that gives the creator of a literary, artistic, musical, or other creative work
the sole right to publish and sell that work.
- Copyright owners have the right to control the reproduction of their work, including the right to
receive payment for that reproduction.
- An author may grant or sell those rights to others, including publishers or recording companies.
- Copyright infringement is the use or production of copyright-protected material without the
permission of the copyright holder.
- It means that the rights afforded to the copyright holder, such as the exclusive use of a work for
a set period of time, are being breached by a third party.
- Infringement cases may lead to contingent liabilities, which are amounts set aside in case of a
possible lawsuit.
- Individuals and companies who develop new works and register for copyright protection do so
in order to ensure that they can profit from their efforts.
- Other parties may be granted permission to use those works through licensing arrangements or
may purchase the works from the copyright holder; however, several factors may lead other
parties to engage in copyright infringement.

Virtual Self

- When we say something is virtual, it means that it only exist in virtual reality.
- However, something virtual can resemble and simulate a physical aspect or component.
- Virtual self pertains to one’s representation in the virtual world, which exists online and is only
available once a person is connected to the Internet.

Online Identity

- This refers to the sum of your characteristics and interactions online.

- It comprises the different representations of yourself online.
- Your online identity is not the same as your real-world identity because the characteristics you
represent online differ from the characteristics you represent in the physical world.
- Every website you interact with has its own idea of your identity because each one you visit sees
you and your characteristics differently

“Social media like social networking sites, blogs, and online personals requires users to self-
consciously create virtual depictions of themselves.” (Marwick, 2013)

- Every website you interact with will collect its own version of who you are, based on the
information that you have shared.
- Thus, it is up to you how you will represent yourself as closely as who you are and what you do
in real-life or selectively, to create a representation far from your real life.
- You need to create an online identity for yourself. This is who you are when you are in
cyberspace, the limited amount of safe information you do reveal while still protecting your
offline identity. Your online identity can include an alias or screenname, an online profile, an
avatar and your status updates.
Netiquette

- Netiquette is a combination or mixture of the words “internet” and “etiquette” and is generally
defined as a set of conventions facilitated and implemented in various online networks.
- Netiquette describes the rules of conduct for respectful and appropriate communication on the
internet.
- It is often referred to as etiquette for the internet.
- These are not legally binding rules, but recommended rules of etiquette.
- Netiquette is mostly used for dealing with unknown people on the internet.
- The rules of netiquette very depending on the platform and its participants .
- Generally, it is up to the operator of a website or communication app to specify the type and
scope of netiquette. It is also their responsibility to monitor compliance with these basic rules
and to penalize violations of them.
1. Stick to the rules of conduct online that you follow in real life
2. Netiquette: Think of the person
3. Present your best side online
4. Read first, then ask
5. Pay attention to grammar and punctuation
6. Respect the privacy of others
7. Be mindful of your language
8. Don’t be sarcastic
9. Choose your emoji’s carefully
10. Respect other’s views

Lesson 2: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, POWER OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION

- Media is the most influential and powerful aspect of a nation. It offers us a look into the ideal
world.
- Every facet of our lives is taken care of by media. From thefood we eat, the movies we watch,
and ideologies and beliefs we believe in, are heavily influenced by the kind of media and
information we are exposed to.
- Media can shape human behavior that forms the foundation of our society.
- According to UNESCO “Media transform societies by enlightening the decision-making process
with information, and thus empowering individuals to take control of their destinies.
- In this context, media freedom plays a crucial role in the transformation of society by reshaping
its political, economic and social aspects.”
- To sum up, one of the main functions and power of media is it can transform and change.
- It also has power to liberate and enlighten individuals to make informed decisions that
contributes to the transformation of a nation.

THREATS, RISK, ABUSE AND MISUSE OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION

- The benefits of media in education, politics, economics, entertainment, and on other sectors are
countless. It provided vast information that is available and accessible for everyone.
- Media paved the way in the advancement of communication systems and technologies.
- With this, the dissemination of information is possible in a click.
 - Nevertheless, when these communication systems and technologies are misused the rapid flow
of false information through media could cause destruction to individuals, society and nation
and business institutes at global and national level (Zehab, 2015).
- Media have great powers yet has great risks.

Cybercrime

- Cybercrime is an offense against the confidentiality, integrity and availability of computer data
systems, computer-related offenses, such as computer forgery, fraud and identity theft, and
content-related offenses, such as cybersex, child pornography and, most significantly, cyber libel
(Divinala Dynamic, 2016).
- Cybercrime is a violation committed digitally or through computer network. It is characterized
by misuse or utilization of technology and power to exploit or abuse an individual, a group, or an
organization.

Forgery and Fraud

- The rise of computer age and technological advancement created opportunities.

- Opportunities can either be upright or unlawful.
- Easy access to information can lead to forgery and computer fraud.
- Article 7 of the Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention defines computer-related forgery as
"intentional… and without right, the input, alteration, deletion, or suppression of computer
data, resulting in inauthentic data with the intent that it be considered or acted upon for legal
purposes as if it were authentic, regardless of whether or not the data is directly readable and
intelligible" (UNODC, 2019).
- Fraud is the crime of dishonesty or deceiving another, which may be performed using objects or
data obtained through forgery.

Identity Theft

- Identity theft is the crime of obtaining the personal or financial information of another person
for the sole purpose of assuming that person's name or identity to make transactions or
purchases (Kagan, 2019).
- Identity theft is usually used for scamming or fraud.
- Identity thefts are considered as predators.
- “Catfishing” is coined term to describe a person who uses fake identity on a social network
account, usually targeting a specific victim for abuse, deception, or fraud.

Phishing

- Phishing is a type of social engineering attack often used to steal user data, including login
credentials and credit card numbers.
- It occurs when an attacker, masquerading as a trusted entity, dupes a victim into opening an
email, instant message, or text message.
- The recipient is then tricked into clicking a malicious link, which can lead to the installation of
malware, the freezing of the system as part of a ransomware attack or the revealing of sensitive
information.
 - The recipient is then tricked into clicking a malicious link, which can lead to the installation of
malware, the freezing of the system as part of a ransomware attack or the revealing of sensitive
information.
- An attack can have devastating results; for individuals, this includes unauthorized purchases, the
stealing of funds, or identify theft.
- Moreover, phishing is often used to gain a foothold in corporate or governmental networks as a
part of a larger attack, such as an advanced persistent threat (APT) event.
- In this latter scenario, employees are compromised in order to bypass security perimeters,
distribute malware inside a closed environment, or gain privileged access to secured data.

Cybersex and Pornography

- Child sexual exploitation is rampant in the Philippines. UNICEF has tagged the Philippines as the
“global epicentre of the live-stream sexual abuse trade,” with victims consisting largely of
children (Casal, 2019)
- Cybersex is defined as sexual arousal using computer technology, especially by wearing virtual
reality equipment or by exchanging messages with another person via the Internet (Lexico,
2020).
- Cybersex is illegal especially if it involves child exploitation.
- In relation to cybersex, pornography is another risks, abuse, and misuse of media extensive in
the Philippines.
- Pornography is the representation of sexual behavior in books, pictures, statues, motion
pictures, and other media that is intended to cause sexual excitement (Jenkins, 2020).
- According to Remetio (2017), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) confirmed
government blocked some pornography sites, saying it is part of its agenda to stamp out child
pornography.
- NTC Deputy Commissioner Edgardo Cabarios confirmed all internet service providers were given
the directive to remove access from porn sites.

Libel and Slander

- If the imputation is verbally made, then it is considered as slander.

- However, if the imputation is made through writing, printing, lithography, radio and other
similar means, it is punishable as libel (Nicolas and De Vega Law Offices, 2020).

Piracy

- The comfort that technology offered has made piracy more rampant.
- Piracy refers to the unauthorized duplication of copyrighted content for the purpose of trading
in the illegal market (The Economic Times, 2020).
- Piracy is done in many ways like video piracy, cable piracy, and DVD/CD piracy.
- Piracy is a crime since it is considered as copyright infringement.
MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERATE INDIVIDUAL

Proper Online Behavior

- When you use the Internet, they leave behind a digital trail of what you do and where you go to
in search of information.
- This trail creates a digital imprint of your virtual life.
- This is called digital footprint which enables some other online users, including strangers, to
identify them through their online behavior.
- Today’s youth and adults have been using the Internet and mobile devices to communicate, play
games, produce videos, record meetings, take pictures, and post announcements, photos, or
images, including videos.
- While these gadgets and technologies are readily available, we need to equip ourselves with
relevant information on how to use them properly i.e., legally, and ethically
- Writing emails to friends, family members, relatives, colleagues, or sometimes to strangers
- Taking pictures of ourselves (selfies) and groups (groupies or groufies) and posting them in social
media
- Taking picture of foods that we are about to eat and other things and events in our lives that we
feel we can share
- Sharing and reposting messages, articles, photos, and videos
- Posting our statuses, or what e think and feel about issues
- Blogging, hashtagging, and tweeting
- Listening to music, podcasts, and webinars
- Chatting with individuals through texts, and videos
- Playing games
- Searching for information, sometimes, however, we simply copy and paste without checking and
acknowledging the sources
- Proving or sharing information on the Internet without verifying its authenticity
- Watching videos (even pornographic materials)
- In mobile devices, text messaging, forwarding messages, emoticons, and emojis
- Following and reading updates on other people, including celebrities.

Forms of Online Threat

- Online identity theft – stealing another person’s identity and pretending to be the account
owner
- Cyber trespassing or cyber staling – stealing another person’s password to gain access to his or
her personal accounts
- Cyberbullying – harassing someone online, sometimes through cruel messages, discriminatory
comments, or hate campaigns
- Narcissism – uncontrolled and excessive posting of “selfies”
- Online “groomers” – often adult sex predator pretending to be peers
- Sexting – sending sexually oriented messages including lewd humor through text messaging
- Facebook depression – excessive and unguided use of Facebook
- Facebook envy – comparing oneself with the unrealistic public images of friends which leads to
self esteem
 - Illusions of privacy – anything can be said to account owners by anyone including those
unknown to them
- Illusion of security – anything that is posted can be used against the account owner, as this
constitutes digital footprint or imprint, among others
- Phishing – an attempt to make the user send his or her login information and password to a fake
online account.

The 3D Environment

- It is an interactive media experience that allows you to see images in three-dimensional

rendering.
- The graphic artist creates 3D models of images used in a wide range of fields such as
engineering, architecture, business, entertainment, films, and even games.
- According to a writeup, 3D modeling is fun. Though it takes time for beginners, you will surely
enjoy it.
- Some applications you might use include auto-cad, zbrush, 3ds max from Autodesk, SketchUp,
and Blender.
- You can use these apps when making 3D models of your projects, landscape to present
buildings, products that you might be selling, or when you want to create your own mobile
game

Haptics Technology

- Haptics is a feedback technology (using computer applications) that takes advantage of the
user’s sense of touch by applying force, vibrations and/or motions to the User.
- Simple haptics are used in smartphones, game controllers, joysticks and steering wheels.
- Haptics is gaining widespread acceptance as a key part of virtual reality systems, adding the
sense of touch to previously visual-only solutions.
- It is also used in virtual arts, such as sound synthesis, graphic design and animation.

Gamification

- With the increase in the use of gaming amongst the younger generation, game design thinking is
now being applied to non-gaming (business) applications to make them more fun and engaging.
- It has been called one of the most important trends in technology by several industry experts.
- It can potentially be applied to any industry and almost anything to create fun and engaging
experiences, converting customers (Users) into players.
- Gamification is radically changing the way companies do business, increasing engagement with
customers, employees and stakeholders to levels never seen before.

Eye Tracking

- Eye tracking technology measures eye positions and movements which are analyzed through
computer applications.
- Future laptops, smartphones and tablets could contain thousands of tiny imaging sensors built
into the display screen.
- Law enforcement – lie detection
- Airport security – identifying suspicious behavior, e.g. to catch terrorists before they strike.
 - Retail – recording, monitoring and analyzing consumer behavior to ‘tailor’ marketing to
individuals.
- Safety – alerting and awakening a drowsy or distracted driver would save many lives.
- Healthcare – assisting people with disabilities or paralysis to communicate (laptop) and improve
mobility (electric wheelchair).
- Human-computer interaction – using screen icons and a blink here or a gaze there. Say goodbye
to the mouse and keyboard.

Brainwave Sensing

- Technology is in development that enables the control of technology functions by the brain.
- The possibilities for this technology to be used in toys, games, sports, education, health,
automobiles, aviation/aerospace, defense, health, security, law enforcement, and other
applications seems endless.

Virtual World

- A virtual world is a 3D computer generated community that takes place in real-time, where a lot
of people can work on an endless number of tasks at once.
- You can create a personal profile (or avatar), change your look or gender, design your
environment and control how you communicate and move.

Voice and Tone Recognition

- Not only can voice and tone recognition be used to confirm a person’s identity, but tone
recognition can be used to detect a person’s health or emotional state.
- This technology will open new opportunities in security and healthcare – with mobile
applications.

Ubiquitous Learning

- One of the trends we have today is the online conduct of classes since we are all dealing with
the new normal.
- This scenario gives DepEd and private educational institutions the idea of shifting the traditional
teaching and learning process to a flexible learning method.
- These institutions are now utilizing ubiquitous learning or learning as a solution to the current
challenge of our country.

“Ubiquitous learning, labeled as u–learning, takes advantage of digital content, physical

surroundings, mobile devices, pervasive components, and wireless communication to deliver
teaching-learning experiences to users at anytime, anywhere, and anyway. U–learning represents an
emergent paradigm that spreads education in diverse settings, where users are situated in authentic
learning contexts to face immersive experiences to accomplish meaningful learning” (Robledo [Link],
n.d.).
Text and Visual Information Media

- According to Rouse (2015), as cited by Liquigan, a text is any “humanreadable sequence of

characters” that, when combined, can form intelligible words. It is a collection of words or
letters that are understandable by the reader.
- When used in the world of information technology, according to Computer Hope (2020), the
text is added, viewed, edited, and modified using a text editor or word processing program, just
like what we are using right now - Microsoft word
- In adding text, a keyboard is often used, but because of the current trends of media we have
right now, text may also be added using touch and an on-screen keyboard or through voice
recognition or the text to speech software.
- According to Parekh (2006), text media offers easier and flexible use in terms of content
production.
- Text is one of the elements of multimedia products that can be combined with several elements
such as the visual and audio.
1. Plaintext – consisting of fixed size characters having essentially the same type of appearance.
2. Formatted text – appearance can be changed using font parameters.
3. Hypertext – serve to link different electronic documents and enable users to jump from one to
another in a nonlinear way

File Formats

- The file format is the structure of a file that tells a program how to display its contents.
- For example, a Microsoft Word document is saved in the .doc file format is best viewed in
Microsoft Word.
- Programs compatible with a file format may be able to give an overview of a file but may not be
able to display all the files features.
- Also, with some programs opening a file format that is not supported may give you garbage.

Some of the more common file formats are listed below:

- .doc and .docx - Microsoft Word file

- .odt - OpenOffice Writer document file
- .pdf - PDF file
- .rtf - Rich Text Format
- .tex - A LaTeX document file
- .txt - Plain text file
- .wpd - WordPerfect document
Visual and Information Media

- Visual information, according to Magpile (2016) is the artistic or creative representation or

interpretation of an idea, concept, or emotions using different media.
- It can be in the form of photographs, motion pictures, video recordings, graphic arts, visual aids,
and other displays that use pictorial representation.
- Painting
- Photos or images
- Graphic images
- Cartoon or comic strip
- Graphs and charts

File Formats of Visual Images

- TIFF (.tiff, .tiff) - TIFF or Tagged Image File Format is lossless images files.
1. They do not need to compress or lose any image quality or information regardless of how often
you might copy, re-save, or compress the original file, allowing you to have a very high-quality
image but also larger file sizes.
2. This is best if you want high-quality prints of your picture, or you might use it in professional
publications.
- BMP (Bitmap)
1. It is an image format developed by Microsoft to save images that would not be distorted when
viewed on different devices.
2. It contains uncompressed image data that supports monochrome and color images at variable
color bit depths, along with image metadata.
3. BMP files are commonly used for storing 2D digital photos.
- JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg) – Joint Photographic Experts Group
1. It is the most common file type you run across on the web, and more than likely the kind of
image that is in your company's MS Word version of its letterhead.
2. JPEGs are known for their "lossy" compression, meaning that the quality of the image decreases
as the file size decreases. Thus, paying attention to the resolution and file size with JPEGs is
essential to produce a nice-looking project.
- GIF (.gif) – Graphics Interchange Format
1. These are most common in their animated form.
2. In their more basic form, GIFs are formed from up to 256 colors in the RGB color space.
3. Due to the limited number of colors, the file size is drastically reduced.
4. This is a common file type for web projects where an image needs to load very quickly, as
opposed to one that needs to retain a higher level of quality.
- PNG (.png) – Portable Network Graphic
1. These are amazing for interactive documents such as web pages but are not suitable for print.
2. While PNGs are "lossless," meaning you can edit them and not lose quality, they are still low
resolution.
3. This is commonly used in most web projects so that you can save your image with more colors
on a transparent background.
4. This makes for a much sharper, web-quality image.
Evaluating and Rating Visual Information

- According to Magpile (2016) here are some of the criteria that might help you in evaluating
visual information.
1. Use of color - The kind of colors depends on the theme and subject.
2. Use of medium - a painter makes artwork with the use of not just paint and brush. He/she
incorporates other materials such as recycled materials, branches of trees, or any other
materials that he/she saw.
3. Level of creativity - With creativity, this visual presentation will catch the viewer’s attention.
4. Choice of subject – a photographer who likes nature would usually take photos of sceneries,
forests, mountains, waters, etc.
5. Choice of theme or message - artworks made by the artists today about our modern-day heroes,
which can say something about the sacrifices of the medical practitioners