In an era where our smartphones are glued to our palms and social media feeds are never-ending rivers of content, it is easy to forget that we are constantly being shaped by what we consume. Erik Johnson, a professor of Stage and Screen Arts at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, wants us to stop and ask ourselves a simple, yet profound question: Who is steering the ship? As we scroll through headlines, viral videos, and emotional appeals, he urges us to consider whether the digital reality we inhabit is actually rooted in truth or meticulously crafted to deceive. Media literacy is no longer just an academic elective; it has become a necessary survival skill in an age where the barrier between fact and fiction has virtually dissolved.
The rapid evolution of technology has turned a once-manageable flow of information into an overwhelming barrage, making it harder than ever to navigate our daily digital lives. Johnson notes that the ubiquity of smartphones means we are constantly exposed to content designed to trigger our reactions. To combat this, his classes at UWRF—and his broader work through the Universities of Wisconsin—focus on cultivating a mindset of intentionality. By teaching students, retirees, and everyone in between how to consume media with a critical eye, he aims to build a wall of resistance against the tidal wave of misinformation that currently threatens to drown our collective common sense.
Perhaps the most daunting hurdle we face today is the rise of artificial intelligence, which has made the art of deception incredibly sophisticated. Johnson emphasizes that deep fakes and AI-generated imagery are now so convincing that even the most skeptical observer can find themselves questioning their own eyes. When a viral headline or a shocking video breaks, our first instinct should be one of healthy skepticism rather than immediate belief. He warns that we have reached a point where seeing is no longer believing, and the responsibility to verify, double-check, and cross-reference information rests entirely on our shoulders as individual users.
To turn his students into more effective detectives of the truth, Johnson uses a hands-on approach that cuts through the noise. He encourages people to weigh the plausibility of a story: Who is the source? Is the outlet credible? Does the headline use sensationalized language to bait you into a click? He often uses case studies, such as a fake photo of an Artemis mission that went viral, to show how AI can easily mimic textures and lighting to deceive us. By forcing students to create their own “fake” content—a process that often leaves them feeling ethically uncomfortable—he provides them with a profound realization: if it is this easy for a student to manufacture a lie, imagine how powerful an bad actor could be with these same tools.
Crucially, Johnson pushes his students to examine their own habits by tracking their media consumption for a week, distinguishing between “passive” scrolling and “active” engagement. He challenges us to ask if we are doom-scrolling, letting algorithms dictate our moods and opinions, or if we are intentionally seeking out the information we need. This self-audit often leads to eye-opening revelations about how our digital habits can condition our behavior and narrow our worldview. It is a lesson in reclaiming agency in a digital landscape that is specifically engineered to keep us distracted and divided, reminding us that we have the power to define our own digital experience.
Ultimately, Johnson’s goal is not to scare us away from technology, but to empower us to live alongside it with wisdom. As he aptly puts it, AI is a tool that is here to stay, and our best defense is to understand how that tool functions so we can use it responsibly rather than being used by it. His hope for every student and participant is that these lessons act as a springboard, transforming the way they interact with the world long after the semester ends. In a world of infinite, often dubious content, cultivating this level of awareness is the most practical and essential application of education we could possibly hope for.