Critical Ignoring
What Works to Build Mental Immunity - #12
Critical Ignoring involves strategically disregarding misleading and low-quality information and choosing which information to focus on. This competency is essential in the digital age, where the vastness of accessible information demands that we efficiently allocate our limited attention to stay informed and maintain mental immunity against manipulative content1.
Applications
These come directly from a foundational paper on this topic.2
Teach students to create a less distracting digital environment by utilizing self-nudging3 strategies. Examples include setting time limits on social media usage, modifying notification settings to reduce interruptions, and employing tools to block distracting websites. This empowers students to take control of their digital spaces, enhancing focus and reducing the allure of low-quality information.
Teach students lateral reading4, which involves verifying the credibility of information by checking other reliable sources rather than solely relying on one source of information.
Teach the "Do Not Feed the Trolls" Heuristic5: don’t engage with online trolls and malicious actors who aim to disrupt and provoke. Teach students to block and report such individuals rather than retaliating. Blocking and reporting will deprive online trolls of the attention they seek, maintaining a healthier online environment.
Notes
“Critical” is a key modifier here. We don’t want to teach students to ignore information generally, this would probably just reinforce biases. Importantly, critical ignoring is not just about avoiding misinformation but also about managing one’s cognitive resources effectively.
Learn More
To navigate the dangers of the web, you need critical thinking – but also critical ignoring (The Conversation)
For all the modules in one place, visit our What Works to Build Mental Immunity Website page! See what’s to come and download PDF versions of these modules.
This post is part of our “What Works” series for educators and researchers.
We are open to incorporating feedback into these modules before we publish them on our website. Please comment on this post to provide suggestions. We’re particularly interested in additional applications, resources, and readings. All constructive feedback is welcomed. Thank you!
When using the phrase “manipulative content” we’re referring to both deliberately manipulative information, like disinformation and “PsyOps”, and information that may not be intentionally manipulative but is inherently manipulative insofar as it misleads or misdirects our critical thinking faculties, this includes things like misinformation, conspiracy theories, and pseudoscience.
Current Directions in Psychological Science 2023, Critical Ignoring as a Core Competence for Digital Citizens, also summarized here: Forget Critical Thinking. It’s Critical Ignoring That Will Keep You Sane (Positive Prescription blog)
Perspectives on Psychological Science 2017, Nudging and Boosting: Steering or Empowering Good Decisions
Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education 2019, Lateral reading and the nature of expertise: Reading less and learning more when evaluating digital information
The Conversation, ‘Don’t feed the trolls’ really is good advice – here’s the evidence