DIGITAL MEDIA LITERACY AND DIGITAL SECURITY

 DIGITAL MEDIA LITERACY 

Sometimes I think about how easily we trust what we see online, a photo, a screenshot, a forwarded video and how quickly we react without ever questioning its truth. Yet the digital space is one place where things are almost never what they seem. So I found myself asking: If the internet shapes our opinions, our safety, and even our decisions… shouldn’t we at least understand how it works?

That question stayed with me throughout the Digital Media Literacy training I attended, and honestly, it changed everything.

Understanding information disorder

Before anything else, let us understand, what is Information Disorder? This is basically the different kinds of false or harmful content online. And trust me, this explains so much about what we see on X, Facebook, TikTok etc.

There are three types:

1. Misinformation

This is wrong information, but the person sharing it doesn’t mean harm.

Like when someone forwards a WhatsApp message because they believe it’s true.

2. Disinformation

This one is intentional.

Someone creates false content on purpose to mislead, confuse, influence or harm people.

3. Malinformation

This is when real information is used to cause harm.

Example: leaking private photos or chats.

Knowing these three clears up a lot. 

"Sometimes the problem is not the internet itself, but how people use it."


Now, how often do you verify and fact check information?

Most of us might not clearly distinguish between verification and fact checking.

Verification - This is the process one does before posting anything. Confirm the truthfulness and accuracy as you gather information. 

Fact checking - This is a review of all factual assertions in a complete piece of content. It might be a photo, video, letter, message online.


You might be asking yourself why learn digital media literacy?

One being digitally literate isn't for the journalists, at one point in our lives we have received cyberthreats, received malicious links, mistaken wrong information to be true, even shared it unknowingly. 

Digital literacy is aimed to:

  • Verify information before sharing.
  • Identify fake images, videos, and websites.
  • Protect ourselves from cyber threats.
  • Think critically about the content we consume and produce.
  • Strengthen ethical journalism in a digital world.
  • Hold power accountable.
  • Combat propaganda and disinformation.

Because at the end of it all, "we were not just consumers of information."

TOOLS USED TO VERIFY INFORMATION ONLINE(videos and images)

There are several easy to use verification and fact checking tools that are user-friendly, 

For videos:

Triange investigator - for suspicious videos on X and Facebook.

Geolocate, Google earth and street view - this three aid to verify claimed locations.

Sun Calc - used to check for shadows if time is critical.

For images:

Google image 

InVID.

Photo forensic.

Veracity 

Tineye.

Fake image detector.

We verify.

These tools help you check: Where a photo first appeared, whether it has been edited, whether something is actually real or recycled from years ago

"And honestly, once you learn this, you stop believing things too fast."

DIGITAL SECURITY.

Definition:

This is a set of measures and practices designed to safeguard computer systems networks and information from unauthorized access attacks and potential risks in the digital realm. 

Digital security is really just about protecting yourself in a world where almost everything you do leaves a footprint. Every time you go online, whether you’re posting, searching, sharing, or even just scrolling, you expose a part of yourself. Your data, your identity, your location, your conversations… all of it exists somewhere on the internet.

What many people don’t realize is that this information can be accessed, tracked, or even manipulated if you don’t know how to protect it. Digital security is the layer that stands between you and the risks that come with living, working, and interacting online. It’s not just for tech people or journalists, it’s for anyone who uses a phone.

Digital Safety Basics People Don’t Think About:

MAC Address & IP Address.

Many people see these terms on their phones or laptops but have no idea what they mean.

MAC Address

A unique identifier given to your device’s network hardware.

It’s like your device’s permanent “fingerprint” in the digital world.

Works at the local network level.

Used to send data from your device to websites and back.

IP Address

A number assigned to your device when it connects to the internet.

It shows your approximate location and enables communication online.

It changes depending on the network you connect. 

Why this matters:

Hackers can come in between the device and the local network or the local network with the world internet, track devices, steal information, break into systems or even plant malware. Understanding MAC and IP addresses helps you secure your online presence.

"This next part is honestly mind blowing"

Before we even get into the technical terms, you need to know something: not all communication online is meant to be seen openly. Some messages are hidden on purpose, either to protect sensitive information or to conceal something entirely. 

That’s where the ideas of cryptography and steganography come in. They’re both ways of hiding information, but each works differently.

Cryptography

This is where you encode information.

For example, replacing a letter with the third letter that follows, basically making the real message unreadable. (Hello - Jgnnq)

Steganography

This is more sneaky.

You hide information inside a picture.

The image looks normal, but there is a hidden message inside it. Hackers, spies, cyber criminals, they use these every day.

Under digital security they are various tools used to confirm if the links images and emails are secure

 Tools:

1.VirusTotal 

VirusTotal is like a health check for files and links.

You upload a file or paste a URL, and it scans it using dozens of antivirus engines.

It tells you if the file is clean or if it contains malware, viruses, suspicious code, or anything harmful.

It’s one of the quickest ways to know if something is safe before you open it.

2. Have I Been Pwned

This tool tells you if your email or password has ever been leaked in a data breach.

You enter your email, and it scans billions of breached records to check if your information is exposed.

If it says “Pwned,” it means your data was leaked somewhere and you should change your password immediately.

3. Bennish.net

Used to check for decent passwords, how strong is your password and how long can it take to crack it. 

N/B: The longer the password the stronger it is.


4. Hiddenbits.com

HiddenBits is used to encode and decode information hidden in an image. 

The information is always end to end encryption, without the password to decode the information, that is just an image.

5. Sucuri.net

Once you upload URL it will check for known malware viruses, blacklisting status, website error, out - of - date software, and malicious code

NOTE: When it comes to links check for the protocol transfer(https) and it should have a padlock if not it might not be secure.


MOST SECURE MESSAGING PLATS FROM TOP TO LAST.

Signal

Telegram

Wire

Viber

Threema

We chat

Whatsapp 

iMessage 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHEN A GIANT FALLS

What Raila Odinga’s Death Means to a Generation That Grew Up Hearing His Name By Ojiambo Florence When I first heard that Raila Odinga was gone, I didn’t believe it. His name has lived in every conversation, in classrooms, in matatus, and in every argument that ended with, “But Raila said…” It was a name that carried weight, echoing across decades of Kenya’s political history. To me, and to many in my generation, Raila was not just a politician; he was a presence. Hearing that he was gone felt like a pause in Kenya’s heartbeat, as if the country itself needed a moment to breathe. Legacy and Loss According to reports, former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga passed away on October 15, 2025, in India after suffering a cardiac arrest during a morning walk. He was 80 years old. His death marks the end of an era, a man who spent more than four decades shaping Kenya’s history, from the struggle for multiparty democracy in the 1980s to his...
Read more

THE COST OF SELF - BETRAYAL.

Image
 “ How many times have you turned against yourself so quietly that you didn’t even hear the betrayal happen?” We don’t always break ourselves in loud, dramatic ways. Sometimes it happens softly, in the yes you didn’t want to say, in the smile you forced to avoid conflict, or in the dreams you shelved because someone else’s expectations felt heavier than your own.  The world often celebrates being “good,” being “understanding,” being “strong,” but rarely asks what it costs you to play those roles. Most people don’t even realize when self-betrayal begins. It hides behind kindness. Behind responsibility. Behind being the one who always shows up, even when their own heart is collapsing in silence. We call it compromise , maturity , loyalty but deep down, we know it’s something else: the slow surrender of who we truly are. But why do we do it? Because guilt whispers we’re selfish if we choose ourselves. Because shame convinces us we’re unworthy of boundaries. Because resentment g...
Read more