These 3 subversive skills will shock your teachers!

Skill #1 :  How to detect and resist clickbait. You may have already done this while reading the title of this article!

Although if you’re still reading, you may need a bit more practice at this ;).

Want to know more why clickbait is so effective? Read (and watch) how and why clickbait can be found everywhere online:

Skill #2: How to recognize content farms (or content mills) and how to support legitimate content creators you enjoy.

Youtube content creators, especially those that are talented, but just building a following are being washed out of searches due to content farms, such as “5 Minute Crafts” and “So Yummy” which offer high frequency, SEO optimized, but low-quality content. With content farms becoming more and more prevalent, how can the Youtubers working hard to produce original content make a living?

Skill #3: How to avoid using unreliable, biased or fake information when doing research.

The great thing about the Internet is that anyone can share their knowledge, ideas and experience with others! The awful thing about the Internet is that anyone can share their knowledge, ideas and experience with others. The ability to weed out unreliable sources, to recognize and balance biased content and to cross-reference information to find facts is a must for all students!

Though the title of this article is clickbait, it’s true that most teachers would be impressed (OK so maybe “shocked” is a bit hyperbolic) to find that you’ve mastered these skills and can demonstrate them through your research and assignments. More importantly, however,  these skills are life skills.  They’ll help you navigate the vast (and often polluted) digital sea so that you don’t waste your time, money and good opinion on content that’s designed to manipulate and mislead.