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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
The project ‘Media literacy in the context of the Middle East conflict,’ led by Professor Havva Engin and Rabbi Professor Birgit Klein, was presented at Heidelberg University of Education in November. The presentation addressed the current relevance of the topic in light of radicalised views on the Middle East conflict and provided a detailed explanation of the project's approach. The final part of the event consisted of a panel discussion with three guests as well as an exchange with the audience.
Tobias Doerfler, Dean of the University of Education, opened the event
with a welcome speech and directly addressed the aim of the project. Namely,"to strengthen the prevention of extremism and anti-Semitism in schools and universities in the long term and to further advance our democracy education".
Andreas Brämer, Rector of the Heidelberg University of Jewish Studies, also welcomed all those present. He noted that since 7 October, anti-Semitism had increased significantly in Heidelberg and surrounding towns. In a short period of time, more and more echo chambers had formed in which even young people were becoming radicalised, with social media playing a central role.
According to Brämer, teachers reported that they lacked the space and materials to teach the historical background of the conflict and help young people make sense of the multitude of information circulating. Based on all these aspects, he concluded that projects such as this one are needed, which use qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate why the Middle East conflict has politicised and, in some cases, radicalised many young people.
Afterwards, Birgit Klein took the floor. She talked of being repeatedly confronted with blatant ignorance about the history of the conflict and anti-Semitic stereotypes. In addition, she stated that the media is flooded with one-sided narratives. It is therefore important to counteract the distorted media portrayal by imparting knowledge and skills as early as possible, so that false representations can be recognised and young people are given arguments to counter them, she stated.
Before the project was presented, Havva Engin presented data on young people's use of social media, thus creating a basis for shared knowledge.
A new JIM study showed that almost all young people between the ages of 12 and 19 own a smartphone and use it for around four hours a day. A large part of their free time is spent in the digital space, especially on apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. "It has become an organ of ours, a part of young people's bodies", summarised Ms Engin.
The study also showed that many young people have a keen interest in social and political issues, particularly wars, the threat of war and conflicts. However, many are confronted with disinformation on a daily basis.
Insulting comments and extremist political views, as well as other critical content, are also rapidly increasing. This should give us pause for thought, especially since even very young people are exposed to it.
Ms Engin emphasised that radicalisation is a process that does not happen overnight and takes place in interaction with the real environment, i.e., it is a combination of online and offline activities.
After a brief introduction of the research assistants Jessika Hoesel, Judith Damian, Lennart Koller and Andrea Setzer-Blonski, the methodology was presented.
A media diary will be used to record how young people consume and reflect on (left-wing) extremist narratives and content in the context of the Middle East conflict on social media. The target group is school pupils aged 16 and above and students, who will keep the diary for a period of two to four weeks. The diary is intended to strengthen critical media literacy and democratic discourse skills. An initial survey will be conducted beforehand to collect biographical data and information on media use.
One challenge is "diary fatigue", which manifests itself in participants filling out the diary less and less thoroughly and not providing sufficient information. One solution to this is to fill out the diary multimodally.
Subsequent interviews focus on personal experiences, opinions and findings relating to the diary itself, but also with regard to the Middle East conflict. The aim here is to understand the role played by the Middle East conflict in shaping the political opinions of young people and the extent to which social media is relevant in the process of politicisation.
Based on the results of the media diaries and interviews, argumentation training courses and workshops will be developed. These are aimed at school pupils and students on the one hand, but also at teachers, lecturers and other educational professionals on the other. The project is scheduled to start in January, with workshops for teachers expected to begin in spring 2027.
A discussion and conversation round was also held, to which Patrick Baumgärtner (teacher), Argyri Paraschaki-Schauer (managing director of LAKA Baden-Württemberg), and Norbert Pellens (headmaster) were invited.
The initial question was: given the prominent presence of social media in everyday school life, to what extent is social media responsible for contributing to radicalisation? According to Mr Baumgärtner, he spoke with Year 9 pupils after 7 October and communication was open. However, within two weeks, this changed drastically: some pupils expressed conspiracy theories and denied the crimes of 7 October. This misinformation mainly came from social media.
According to Ms Paraschaki-Schauer, the topic of the Middle East conflict always comes up in her work in connection with her own experiences of discrimination. She thought it interesting to note that young people immediately show solidarity. While there would be an outcry if Muslims were held collectively responsible for the massacre on 7 October, she often finds that this outcry and the demand for a differentiated view are lacking when it comes to discussions about the Jewish population in relation to the conflict.
Mr Pellens also commented, highlighting another aspect, namely that it took a long time for the balance of reporting, including in the daily news, to shift and for a more nuanced picture of the conflict to emerge. He said he did not want to blame young people.
He described it as "exhausting" to remain curious, critical and reflective. From the audience, a pupil from the Elisabeth von Thadden School explained that most pupils use social media extensively and therefore encounter many posts about the Middle East conflict, which they engage with.
When Engin asked what they would rely on when it came to recognising fake news, one student replied that if she doesn't find any information on the subject, she searches the internet for further sources and talks to others about it. Mr Baumgärtner expressed the desire for spaces for exchange with pupils, such as social media consultation hours, where, for example, depictions of violence, Holocaust relativisation and unwanted depictions of pornography in the media can be discussed.
Furthermore, Mr Baumgärtner emphasised that it is important to have a dialogue with pupils about these issues, as they are increasingly exposed to such content in the media.
"We have a problem and we must not ignore these issues in the school context", said Ms Engin at the end of the event, "School shapes society, school is society." She added that it is important to address these issues, break new ground, try out unfamiliar methods and also trust young people to a certain extent.
In a concluding statement, Ms Engin also noted that the format of the project combines theory with practice. Scientific methods are used in the survey to determine needs, which can then be used as a basis for developing materials. According to Ms Engin, this is where the strength of the project lies.
Rab. Prof. Dr. Birgit Klein (birgit.klein@hfjs.eu)
Prof. Dr. Havva Engin (engin@ph-heidelberg.de)
https://www.hfjs.eu/medienkompetenz-im-nahostkonflikt.html
From left to right: Rabb. Prof. Dr. Birgit Klein, Patrick Baumgärtner, Prof. Dr. Havva Engin, Norber ...
Quelle: Annalena Bauer
Copyright: Annalena Bauer
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