Infodemic, Visual Disinformation and Data Literacy. How to Foster Critical Thinking Through the Emerging Data-Graphicacy Competence

n an infodemic the citizen must quickly process information, using parameters of thought automation, rather than analytical parameters, and therefore preferring interpretations that employ less cognitive effort and that mainly reflect previous knowledge. Decoding of any infographic appears unknowingly easy, due to the strong use of iconographic elements, whose intuitiveness makes it simple, effective and free from misleading interpretations, even though graphs can lie. It is necessary to learn to read a graph, before understanding it, as the truth-fulness of the information contained in a data visualization is never absolute, but rather must be critically contextualized based on the objectives of those who want to use the initial data. Correct reading presupposes the acquisition of a new holistic digital competence: the data-graphicacy, that intends to be a natural evolution of the concept of graphicacy, which summarizes the skills necessary for a citizen in the correct production and consumption of infographics. If on the one hand, developing the factual, conceptual, and procedural domain of the infographic project is a consolidated practice in design schools, on the other hand, a lack of support activities for metacognitive and critical development of infographics, as a key to breaking the disinformation wheel, is undeniable. To do this, it is necessary to implement strategies that focus attention on the logical-procedural structure with which an infographic is created, and activities are carried out starting from the analysis of the products themselves.