Social Media Illiteracy

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced digital age, social media has become an essential tool for communication, information sharing, and influence. However, many people lack the necessary knowledge to navigate these platforms responsibly, leading to a growing issue known as Social Media Illiteracy (SMI). Social media illiteracy is the inability to navigate, comprehend, and use social media platforms in a responsible and informed manner. With the growing use of mobile phones and technology in PNG, access to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram, has become efficient and accessible for anyone to access and navigate these platforms. Despite these platforms creating a space for connectivity and social interaction among people from all over the country, absence of necessary skills and knowledge in navigating these platforms have become an issue in the country. Therefore, this blog post examines the consequences of SMI, explores its impacts on PNG’s national security, and aims to raise awareness while suggesting potential solutions to mitigate its effects.

Impact of SMI on National Security in Papua New Guinea

SMI presents significant challenges to the national security of Papua New Guinea (PNG), affecting various aspects of society and governance. Below are some key impacts:

  1. Social media platforms can rapidly spread misinformation, leading to public panic and unrest. In PNG, with its diverse cultures and languages, miscommunication can exacerbate existing tensions and contribute to community-based conflicts. For instance, Prime Minister (PM) James Marape’s fake Facebook account that connected with 200 friends in less than two weeks (McKenzie & Connable, 2022) highlighting the publics vulnerability to misinformation and Facebook’s role in spreading it.
  2. The uncontrolled flow of information makes PNG susceptible to foreign interference. External actors may exploit social media to gather intelligence using data such as visited sites, downloaded content, and clicked links (Cross, 2013, pg. 18). to manipulate public opinion or stir discord to serve their own interests posing as a threat to national security.
  3. When citizens cannot distinguish between credible and false information, their trust in the government's ability to protect and serve weakens. This fuels protests and civil society activism (Bunse, 2021), disrupting national harmony and stability.
  4. The National Security Policy (NSP) addresses both traditional and emerging threats, including SMI.  It links SMI to issues such as ‘cyber-attacks’ and the ‘protection of intellectual property and national information’ under Level Two Threats in Chapter 4, thus justify the need for cybersecurity frameworks to regulate online spaces and reduce SMI-related risks.

Strategies to Address SMI

PNG has implemented several strategies to address SMI, as outlined in the NSP and integrated into national cybersecurity initiatives.

  1. The National Cyber Security Policy (NCSP) 2021 promotes public education on online safety through public campaigns addressing risks such as child safety, misinformation, and social media misuse. Under this policy, bodies like the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) and PNG Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) were established to monitor and respond to online threats.
  2. The NSP emphasizes on incorporating cybersecurity knowledge and digital literacy into school curricula to equip students to understand responsible digital engagement and the implications of social media.
  3. Under the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2024-2030, the Social Media Management Desk (SMMD) actively monitors and counters misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech. It works to regulate online content by identifying harmful content and addressing it promptly ensuring a safe digital environment.

Is SMI Included in the Boe Declaration at the Regional Level?

The Boe Declaration, adopted by Pacific Island Forum Leaders in 2018, addressed traditional and non-traditional security challenges faced in the Pacific. While it emphasizes on safeguarding digital infrastructure, combating cyber threats, and establishing regulatory frameworks to prevent cybercrime, it does not directly mention SMI. While these measures are crucial for digital security, it does not include specific agendas to address SMI, which includes skills like critically evaluating online information, identifying misinformation, and promoting responsible engagement on digital platforms (Pacific Islands Forum, 2018).
When the declaration was adopted, it was primarily designed to tackle immediate challenges, such as climate change, transnational crime, and cybersecurity, which were seen as more urgent issues for Pacific nations. It focused more on broader security issues within the region and emphasized on structural and systematic measures like protecting digital infrastructure, establishing cybercrime regulatory frameworks, and combating cyber threats because it is a behavioral issue thus justifying the exclusion of SMI within this framework.

Relevance of SMI to Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948

SMI is linked to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as lack of media literacy limits a user’s ability to interpret information undermining public safety and can violate human rights. Article 27 of the UDHR states that everyone has the right to freely participate in cultural life and share in scientific advancements. SMI threatens this right by enabling the spread of misinformation on social media. Furthermore, Article 19(2) states that when people cannot differentiate between real and false content, they are misinformed potentially leading to harmful decision making.

For example, AI-generated fakes can distort public understanding, hindering access to accurate intel. For instance, the recent AI generated video of Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama engaging in an altercation with Prime Minister James Marape that was widely shared. Pacific Media Watch (2025) noted that, “the post has amassed almost 190,000 views on Facebook and more than 360 comments”.

For a media illiterate person this pose as a factual encounter that occurred which causes negative reactions from people as they are not in tuned with modern advancement to fully understand current trends. In support, Dhiman (2023) stated, “One of the most concerning aspects of fake news and misinformation is their ability to spread quickly and widely on social media platforms as it can be shared millions of times within minutes, making it difficult for legitimate sources to counteract the spread of misinformation”

Recommendations

To address SMI, it is recommended that the following actions be taken by the PNG government:

  1. Digital literacy programs should be integrated into all primary and secondary school curricula and effectively implemented as it will teach students to be digitally literate as it will help students develop a positive behavior when navigating media and digital platforms. This can be substantiated by Wilson et al. (2019, pg. 51), who noted “media and other information providers are instrumental in shaping perceptions, beliefs and attitudes”.
  2. Establish community-based digital training programs both in rural and urban settings, through workshops as it can equip people with the skills needed to navigate social media responsibly. Gari (2025) in support highlights that “not everyone in PNG is equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate the online world safely and responsibly” hence, these workshops would enlighten citizens on the importance of navigating social media responsibly.
  3. While there are laws and policies in place to regulate cyber concerns, enforcement has declined thus resulting in the increased rate of cyber concerns including media-related issues (Ige, 2023). Therefore, cyber laws in PNG needs to be fully enforced to ensure citizens are protected from digital abuse, misinformation and exploitation.

Conclusion

SMI presents significant challenges to PNG’s national security and governance exacerbating vulnerabilities to misinformation, foreign interference, and public mistrust. While the country has taken steps to address these issues, there is a need for further action. Expanding digital literacy education, establishing community-based training programs, and strengthening cyber legislation are essential to mitigating SMI. By fostering a more informed digital citizenry, PNG can better protect its national security, uphold human rights, and navigate the complexities of the digital age.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Reference

 

Bunse, S. (2021). Social media: A tool for peace or conflict? Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2021/social-media-tool-peace-or-conflict?

Cross, M. (2014). Social media security: Leveraging social networking while mitigating risk. Elsevier Inc. 

Dhiman, B. (2023). The rise and impact of misinformation and fake news on digital youth: A critical review. Journal of Socialomics, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.35248/216-0358.23.12.182

Ige, O. (2023). Trends of cybercrime from 2001 to 2021: cybersecurity action plan for Papua New Guinea. Discover Global Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-023-00007-7

Mckenzie, C. & Connable, B. (2022). PNG’s elections: dangers that lie on social media. Lowy Institute. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/png-s-elections-dangers-lie-social-media

Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. (2021). National cyber security policy 2021. Department of Information and Communications Technology. https://www.ict.gov.pg/cyber-security-policy-2021/

Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. (2024). National cyber security strategy 2024–2030. Department of Information and Communications Technology. https://www.ict.gov.pg/ncss/

Pacific Island Forum. (2018, September 5). Boe declaration on regional security. https://forumsec.org/publications/boe-declaration-regional-security?form=MG0AV3

Pacific Media Watch. (2025, April 7). Bougainville president condemns ‘dangerous’ AI-generated fake video of scuffle with Marape. Asia Pacific Report. https://asiapacificreport.nz/2025/04/07/bougainville-president-condemns-dangerous-ai-generated-fake-video-of-scuffle-with-marape/#:~:text=Autonomous%20Bougainville%20Government%20President%20Ishmael%20Toroama%20has%20condemned,and%20Papua%20New%20Guinea%20Prime%20Minister%20James%20Marape.

Papua New Guinea. (2013). National security policy 2013 [PDF]. Office of Security Coordination and Assessment (OSCA). Government Printer of Papua New Guinea. https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/2013-PNG-National-Security-Policy.pdf

POSTCOURIERONLINE. (2025, March 11). Why digital citizenship matters for PNG. Post Courier. https://www.postcourier.com.pg/why-digital-citizenship-matters-for-png/

Wilson, C., Grizzle, A., Tuazon, R., Akyempong, K., & Cheung, C. (2011). Media and information literacy curriculum for teachers. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/media-and-information-literacy-curriculum-teachers


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