Information access systems, such as search engines and social media, filter, sort and otherwise control the content that people are exposed to. Access to knowledge in the digital era is a critical issue, and it is crucial for people to be able to question the information with which they are presented. In the Cypriot context, it is important that youth and children are aware of how information access systems function, and the related potential risks of uncritical consumption of information. This is exactly the main goal of the CyCLOPS project, i.e. “Cypriot youth and online Content: Looking beyond the single Perspective in information access Systems”, which is hosted at and funded by the CYENS Centre of Excellence, and co-implemented by the Open University of Cyprus (OUC) and the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR).
The project’s objectives are twofold: a) to conduct research on the experience and knowledge of Cypriot youth in relation to information access systems, and b) to design lesson plans for Cypriot schools and an interactive tool to encourage Cypriot youth’s critical consumption of information online by raising awareness about algorithmic processes that filter and sort content. Especially in Cyprus, because of the Cyprus issue and the fact that conflicts are sustained and/or deepened by the different framings of historical events and beliefs/stereotypes, critical questioning of filtered information it is even more important in the case of young people and children, as they start learning about the world and form their own opinions. The project has started in January 2022, and the OUC research team is led by Associate Professor Jahna Otterbacher and Professor Michalinos Zembylas.