Educational Media Reviews Online

Roco Belic’s documentary, Trust Me, addresses how consuming too much media has consequences with the latest technology. The rise of misinformation and fake news has greatly impacted how humans communicate with one another, increasing fear instead of trust. This feature-length film includes a collection of global news coverage clips, interviews from high tech industries, information professionals, and professors, and the call to action for media literacy to ensure people can share media from reliable sources and with integrity.

The film presents high-quality footage exploring the relationship between human nature and information technology, with an appropriate soundtrack and smooth transitions from beginning to the end. From the beginning, it gives an in-depth look on how the evolution of the Internet changed everything in the world. Technology has been advancing to hook humans’ attention unlike anything seen before in the past. The information consumed through mobile devices has addicting application notifications that can affect familial and peer relationships. This can lead to other mental health disorders, the film emphasizing the young adult audience with gossip, rumors, cyberbullying, and recruitment to malicious organizations.

In addition, the film touches upon news headlines that convey strong human emotions. It can be difficult to determine what is right or wrong if one has a strong connection to the content being consumed, thus leading to discussion of polarization. It ties in with the film covering fake news examples through social media platforms about vaccine controversies, shopping reviews, and how even journalists and news organizations are fooled. Hackers even take advantage of human psychological vulnerabilities with fake accounts and online messages being manipulated with fake voice samples and photo editing, disturbing global societies in the process.

Near the end, the film discusses ways to critically evaluate online sources with accurate research so it can be shared safely to others. It even mentions the importance of fact-checking by thinking about the source material being consumed and deciding which ones to trust. A list of organizations fighting and educating media literacy is provided. As the news is skewed by covering the negative aspects of the world, Trust Me reminds the viewer to be mindful and kind about others’ different opinions and beliefs to prevent misunderstandings.

This is an excellent film for an academic library collection for those who are interested in learning about the advancements of technology, the effects of media consumption, and media literacy.

Awards:
Joe Cantwell Award of Excellence in Documentary, Alexandria Film Fest; Best Doc, IndieFest; Best Documentary, MillValleyFilmFest; Oscar-nomination

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