By Zayed Alzyoud
The University of Jordan (UJ) School of Educational Sciences held a seminar titled “Media Literacy Education in the Digital Environment: Building Minds Resilient to Extremism,” under the patronage of its Dean, Prof. Muhammad Alzyoud.
The event drew participation from more than 500 students from educational sciences, social sciences and philosophy programmes, alongside educators and media professionals.
Journalist and academic researcher Sonia Al-Zughoul led the session, explaining how online content can steer perceptions by triggering emotion, and how digital platforms shape attitudes through both conscious and subconscious responses.
She highlighted common tactics used to manipulate audiences and deepen polarisation online, noting that young people are among the most frequently targeted groups. These tactics include steering information exposure, exploiting emotions, repeating messages, spreading misinformation and distorting facts, often amplified by limited critical-thinking skills.
Al-Zughoul also discussed the growing impact of social media and AI-driven tools, including AI-generated deepfakes and fabricated content, as well as narratives built around victimhood and perceived threats. She pointed to attempts to erode trust in official sources and influence identity and belonging.
The seminar concluded by outlining preventive skills such as critical thinking, verification, discourse analysis and counter-narrative building, alongside digital awareness, online self-protection and social skills that support responsible digital engagement. Participants stressed the role of universities in embedding these competencies into curricula to strengthen digital resilience and community cohesion.