YouTube is experimenting with a new test that proposes to show short, ad-style videos that give advice on media literacy.
They are optional videos of about 15 seconds that will be played automatically before playing the chosen video.
YouTube shows tips on media literacy
As the Google team mentions, they want to promote critical thinking in users when consuming content on the web. And for this, show videos of about 15 seconds before playing the chosen video with a series of tips.
You can see an example in this link. In a very animated way, he advises to always check the source of any content we see online. And for this, it gives a series of tips, for example, before trusting what we read, look for who created that material and make sure that the person or organization is an authority on the subject.
Of course, the user will have the option to skip the video, just like advertising after a few seconds. YouTube does not mention what to do with those users who pay a subscription, since they should not see any type of advertising or additional content that interrupts the reproduction of the videos they choose on the platform.
On the other hand, a statement made by the YouTube team is that these digital literacy videos will be shown randomly, so they do not relate to the particular channel or video. However, it can lead to misunderstandings if users interpret it as a warning of the video they are about to watch, and be something that the creators do not like.
At the moment, this new YouTube test is being implemented with a small group of users in the United States. Depending on how accepted this initiative is, based on feedback from users and creators, they might consider rolling out these media literacy tips more broadly.
