The Hype Literacy Toolkit for journalists
In a new self-paced course by Jascha Bareis and Andreu Belsunces Gonçalves, researchers at "Hype Studies", as well as Media Lab Bayern'sJohannes Klingebiel and DW Akademie's Steffen Leidel, journalists learn how to recognize hype, unmask its playbook and report on emerging technologies and AI with nuance.
What is hype?
Hype is characterized by the fascination with the future: Exaggerated and unrealistic promises of value develop ment are coupled with a strident optimism that captures the attention of investors, technologists, politicians, journalists, and the general public.
What hype does: Hype often feels like a natural force surrounding techno logical development, but it is not. Hype is made. Powerful actors generate promises to attract resources, prestige, shape agendas, and position themselves as stewards of technological futures, foreclosing alternatives and silenc ing dissenting voices.
Why do journalists need hype literacy?
Journalists play a central role in deciding which stories gain traction, whose voices appear authoritative, and which visions of the future become publicly plausible. Hype literacy is about strengthening democratic account ability. It helps societies understand how the future is negotiated and whose interests dominate that negotiation.
How to better cover hype
- Diversify sources. Does my source list overrepresent people who stand to gain from the technology’s success? Who is absent?
- Go beyond first-person experiences. Does my personal experience reflect the average user’s?
- Ask who benefits. Who has an interest in staging a technology in a certain way? Who can gain money, pres tige, (geo-)political advantage, visibility, and the power to set or advance certain techno-political agendas?
- Beware the "critics" vs. "experts" narrative. Who is labelled an expert and in what field? Is the expertise of critical voices recognized?
- Highlight uncertainties. Who is making the prediction, and what is their stake in its acceptance? What data supports the claim and is it independent, peer-reviewed, or anecdotal
- Develop a historical awareness. Have similar claims been made about earlier technologies? What actually happened?
Learn more with the Hype Literacy Toolkit
Start the free, self-paced course now: akademie.dw.de/hype-literacy
