2020-07-12
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Some media broadcast overt points of view, such as a radio-show host who often takes a particular political stand on issues. At the same time, even media outlets that promote fairness and objectivity may be telling only part of the story. Every media message includes some details and omits others. Those decisions—what to cut, what to include, and so on—reflect the embedded values and viewpoints of the media makers.
Different media use special techniques.
Messages go beyond the words used. Lighting, music, camera angles, and body language, for example, convey their own messages. To carefully analyze communication, you must be aware of such influences
Different people interpret media differently.
Depending on your age, gender, education, values, upbringing, life experiences, and so on, you will interpret a media message in a unique way, not exactly as someone else would. This is important to consider when you create your own media messages as well.
Many people today can create media.
The digital age provides you with the tools to create media and influence mass audiences. For example, Justin Bieber launched his singing career by posting home videos on YouTube. Likewise, the concept of citizen journalism has evolved in recent years, as public citizens have gotten more involved in collecting, reporting, analyzing, and disseminating news and information through the use of cell phones, flip cameras, and blogging technologies. In fact, CNN launched an “iReport” feature on its Web site to allow everyday citizens to upload, share, and comment on breaking news as it happens.
Identify key skills required for developing media literacy.
We can identify 4 essential skills for media literacy:
Skill #1: Slowing down in a fast-paced world
One of the first challenges we encounter is keeping up with the speed of information. The rate at which media is produced and distributed is both fascinating and overwhelming. Oftentimes, news outlets don’t have the luxury of time because of how fast they’re expected to keep information flowing to their audience. They’re often forced to sacrifice accuracy for speed. As the consumers, we must be willing to do our own verification, especially in a world where the term “fake news” is being used with abandon. There is an art to patience. The good news is that it can be taught. Just by emphasizing the importance of slowing down, stopping to verify a source, and backing it up with three other credible publications, we can better equip our students with the basic skillset and understanding to intelligently digest media.
Skill #2: Finding the source(s)
There was a time when the dots of information were clearly connected, with fewer go-betweens from the direct source to the media outlet that was publishing it. Now, everything is significantly more complicated. When it comes to online media, start by following the links. They’ll help take you back to the places where the information came from. If they lead to a personal social media account, you might want to consider your confidence in the information before sharing it. For all media, backing up a source by comparing the information on several different media networks is always a good idea. Are there noticeable differences between the facts that are being shared? What bias is there? Using multiple reputable national news sources as a reference is always a good idea.
Skill #3: Exploring media as a creator
Not long ago, the definition of media literacy expanded to include media creation. No longer are students merely passive consumers of media—they are now active content creators via online sharing, posting, and commenting. Every time our students “Snap” a picture to a friend or comment on Instagram, they are contributing to the media landscape.
Skill #4: Understanding bias
We hear a lot about media bias. Evaluating the media for bias includes asking questions about news sources, point of view, stereotypes, loaded language, etc. Identifying this type of bias is extremely important and is often covered in media literacy classes. The special attention should be paid to the personal bias.
Personal inherent bias, also known as implicit bias, refers to beliefs or attitudes we have that impact decisions we make. These biases are often unconscious rather than explicit. We may not even understand that we have them or know how they impact our actions. Our personal bias impacts the way we see the world and interpret media messages.
Helping children understand that they may process news or information differently based on their personal bias is a key component of critical thinking and media literacy skills. Teaching students that they see the world a certain way based on factors including their environment, hometown, race, gender, and family make-up is important. I can only see the world through my eyes. My perception is colored by my life experience, my belief system, my childhood, my age, etc.
Getting to know your personal bias not only helps you understand yourself, but it also allows you to understand your reaction to media and to others.
Conclusion
In the ideal world the main function of mass media should be just the reflection of reality, without any interpretations, adaptations and other means of misleading the people. But sadly, it is not the case, and with the development of such sciences as psychology and political science, politicians and other authoritative individuals have learned how to control people’s minds by means of mass media. Though, a lot of states claim to be democratic and have the freedom of speech, censorship is still being exercised there. That’s why the same events are reflected differently in different countries. This is done in order to satisfy the interests of governmental officials, who strive to gain as much power over people as possible. And it seems natural, because it is what government was created for – to rule the people. That is why it is important to develop media literacy skills, and know how to digest the information. It is important not to become a victim of manipulation.
