Academic Scientific JournalsThe Digital Age's Impact on Generational approaches to Historical Literacy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26881/ae.2025.22.01Keywords:
historical literacy, digital competence, generational differences, misinformationAbstract
This study investigates the transformation of historical literacy across different generations due to the modern digital information ecosystem. The study employs a mixed-emphasis analytical research design, integrating statistical data on generational media consumption from sources like Eurostat and the Pew Research Center with a systematic literature review on core frameworks. The findings reveal a generational duality, while digital archives and platforms like TikTok and YouTube offer a more engaging, inquiry-based approach to history, simultaneously introduce severe threats, including the rapid spread of misinformation, the intellectual isolation caused by filter bubbles and echo chambers, and systemic algorithmic bias in digitized historical content. The analysis shows that digital fluency does not equate to critical judgment, highlighting that deep historical thinking must be actively taught in the digital realm. The core recommendation is a hybrid pedagogical approach that integrates traditional scholarly discipline with digital media analysis for a democratic historical literacy capable of navigating a complex and divided information environment.
Downloads
References
Bahiyah, O., & Wang, D. (2020). Watch, Share or Create: The Influence of Personality Traits and User Motivation on TikTok Mobile Video Usage. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies, 14(04).). https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v14i04.12429
Bennett, S., Maton, K., & Kervin, L. (2008). The ‘digital natives’ debate: A critical review of the evidence. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(5), 775-786. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00793.x
Hobbs, R. (2010). Digital and Media Literacy: Connecting Culture and Classroom. Corwin Press.
Jamieson, K. H., & Cappella, J. N. (2008). Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592709091166
Jeurgens, C. (2012). The scent of the digital archive: Dilemmas with a new paradigm. Archival Science, 12(3), 281-294. https://doi.org/10.18352/bmgn-lchr.9348
O'Neil, C. (2016). Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. Crown. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.78.3.403
Pariser, E. (2011). The Filter Bubble: How the New Personalized Web Is Changing What We Read and How We Think. Penguin Press. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/2361740 Pew Research Center. (2014). Generations and Media. Pew Research Center.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816
Prior, M. (2013). Media and political polarization. Annual Review of Political Science, 16, 101-127. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-100711-135242
Schuman, H., & Scott, J. (1989). Generations and collective memories. American Sociological Review, 54(3), 359-381. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095611
Van Deursen, A. J. A. M., & van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2014). The digital divide shifts to differences in usage. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 65(11), 2269-2280. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444813487959
Van Dijck, J. (2013). The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199970773.001.0001
VanSledright, B. A. (2006). What does it mean to think historically... and how do you teach it? Social Education, 70(3), 230-234.
Wineburg, S. S. (2018). Why Learn History (When It's Already on Your Phone). University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226357355.001.0001
