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Watch This After You Watch The Social Dilemma

INSIGHTS

Russian Trolls/ISIS

Meddling from foreign governments polarizes communities

New Zealand

Misinformation about vaccines leads to a near-death experience

Chicago, USA

Over-protective parenting robs children of healthy experiences

Durango, USA

Screentime vs. mental health in middle school

India

Lynching resulting from encrypted WhatsApp

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    Reviews

    To improve the world we need to have confidence that improvement is possible. Today’s information diet tends to work against these goals, and it’s essential that we understand how people learn about current affairs and how we can enhance their knowledge about the present and hope for the future. Trust Me is a vivid, engaging, and penetrating portrait of these vital issues.

    Steven PinkerHarvard University, Author “Enlightenment Now”

    This film is designed to increase student’s media literacy to help them cope with the volumes of negativity they are bombarded with since the advent of mobile devices, enabling them to become more resilient. Documentaries like Trust Me may help Montana’s population develop tools to combat mental health issues like suicide ideology.

    Jon TesterU.S. Senator

    Manipulation of the news by media sources can lead to an increase in depression, anxiety and an increase in the polarization of society. Trust Me and the Getting Better Foundation are working to remedy this through this film.

    Steve DainesU.S. Senator

    TRUST ME addresses how media technology is changing society and how we can protect future generations and ourselves.

    James P. SteyerFounder & CEO of Common Sense Media

    This film offers a sensitive, lyrical, and courageous look at emotional dimensions of our attachment to digital devices.

    Renee HobbsDirector - Harrington Center at Univ. of Rhode Island

    Trust Me opens up the vital conversation about the importance of understanding the media landscape which surrounds us. As someone who works every day to create a media literate world, I am grateful for this film and its message about the importance of reflecting on the way media shapes the world we live in. It’s an incredibly important film at an incredibly important time. You will want to see this. Trust me.

    Michelle Ciulla-LipkinExecutive Director – National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)

    I loved it – and can’t imagine anything that could be more topical or timely.

    Patrice NorthExecutive Director – Alexandria Film Festival

    We live in troubling times. We are at a point where we need to learn to talk to each other… to engage each other in critical discourse. This film goes a long way to solving the How of what we say, How it affects others and in building critical thinking.

    Belinha DeAbreu, PhD.Media Literacy Educator & Author

    Whom should you trust in the media? Trust Me addresses this important issue. I’m proud to have been a part of this artful and powerful film that not only addresses the problem but, more importantly, offers solutions.

    Michael ShermerPublisher - Skeptic magazine, Author “Giving the Devil His Due"

    by Joe Phelps

    CEO, Getting Better Foundation

    Netflix’s social media documentary, “The Social Dilemma“, exposed the motivations and technologies of social media platforms as well as the algorithms that drive them.

    What it doesn’t explain however, is the complex challenge that lack of media literacy presents.

    The U.S. State Department has recognized the importance of media literacy, as they premiered our film, “Trust Me” at their annual conference.

    “Trust Me” portrays real-life consequences to our lack of media literacy. Our hyper-attentiveness to threats and violence, our tendency to remember and talk about negative news more than positive news and our strong inclination to find and believe information that confirms our existing beliefs and values are exploited by all forms of media – not just social media. To many of us do not realize this.

    Repercussions of social media usage are actually symptoms of the basic problem – most people do not know how to properly source and analyze media – whether it is broadcast, cable, print or internet related.

    Some government regulation is necessary that’s related to dis- and mal-information and Section 230 — which prevents platforms from being held responsible for content. But due to America’s penchant for freedom of expression, the solution lies far more with education.

    First, we need to understand our biases as humans:

    Vigilance:

    For hundreds of thousands of years, humanity has been conditioned to be extremely vigilant in order to exist in a much more violent world than we’re living in now. And the media knows how to capitalize on that vigilance. (Overall, crime and war casualties are basically at the lowest per-capita rate in history.)

    Negativity Biases 

    This vigilance works together with our negativity biases – which spur us to react more strongly to negative stimuli. Broadcast, print, and before that, word-of-mouth, proved that bad news travels much faster and further than good news.  It attracts more eyeballs –which generates more revenue — and that is why the news is 90% negative. Its content is not a balanced reflection of the world we live in.

    Confirmation Biases

    Confirmation biases are nature’s way of fortifying our tribal senses. They influence us to accept information that agrees with what we currently believe and reject other beliefs.  This bias has driven the political polarization of our country.

    Moreover, media is driven by the profit motive and desire to be first for the “scoop”

    This too often damages the accuracy of the coverage.  Publishers can choose to generate profit by providing well-researched content that people are willing to pay for. Others are short-term profit seekers who prey on our biases.

    Reliable data shows that, due to advances in modern conveniences and healthcare –and reduction in crime and participation in wars — there has never been a safer or more comfortable, time to live. “Trust Me” covers this side of the story. Its message provides tools that teach us how to be more resilient and mentally healthy.

    Because most people do not know how to properly consume media, research from PEW shows people are losing trust in one another and institutions.  This, in turn, causes depression and feelings of hopelessness.  “Trust Me” offers solutions to many of these issues. The film gives reason to believe that, yes, the world is becoming a better place. The trendlines show human behavior as evolving in a positive direction, while the headlines lead us to believe otherwise.

    Roko Belic, the film’s Oscar-nominated director, and veteran production team, traveled to India, New Zealand and the U.S. extensively, to capture compelling stories that show how media ill-literacy has damaged or destroyed people’s lives.  Commentary from world-renowned experts in psychology, education and journalism support these stories with insight and empirical data.

    “Trust Me” may be for the awareness of media literacy what “An Inconvenient Truth” was for raising awareness of climate change.