Svoboda, manipulace a informační gramotnost

In today's world, people are overwhelmed with information, which is why it is becoming increasingly important to be able to handle it properly, whether each individual is able to do so is a matter for thought. The aim of the bachelor thesis is to assess the effectiveness of information literacy in the fight against manipulation and misinformation. The theoretical part of the thesis defines information literacy, what an information literate person should know, and its relationship to other literacies, followed by manipulation characteristic, including its techniques and defense options. One of the chapters of the theoretical part is devoted to freedom with an emphasis on freedom of speech, because thanks to this we have an inexhaustible amount of information at our disposal. Within the practical part, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 142 respondents. The questionnaire contained mainly questions verifying information literacy. The results showed, for example, that more than two thirds of respondents verify information, or that only a few of them would use only Wikipedia to search for information. Based upon the study of the issue and a follow-up questionnaire survey, it could be concluded that information literacy can be an effective tool in the fight against manipulation and disinformation. It is interesting that its effectiveness can be further enhanced by adding critical thinking and knowledge of manipulation techniques and defense against them. Even so, the defense against manipulation and misinformation will not be 100%, because even people equipped in this way may eventually succumb, as new and better tools and techniques are constantly being sought.