Ahh … the good ole term of media literacy, where we do we begin?
Well I guess for starters, we should define the term so that we all are on the same page for this post. Media literacy as defined in our class discussion, “is a set of perspectives that we actively use to expose ourselves to the media and interpret the meaning of the messages we encounter. It is multi-dimensional and a continuum.” Now, I know we all like things put into simpler terms for us so to keep it straightforward, media literacy is analyzing the good and the bad in the media world. We all the know that the world is changing CONSTANTLY and we are always having to keep up with this ever-changing society. Media literacy is being able to adapt to these changes and having skills to access the different meanings for all the media messages we face.
Duke, J. B. (2017, February 23). It’s Complicated [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://libguides.furman.edu/medialiteracy
Why is it important to be media literate?
We take in a immense amount information from a multitude of media sources, exceeding the traditional media sources like television, radio, newspapers, etc. When encountering this media and figuring out the significance of it and the message’s meaning, we need to do a few things. We need to recognize the point of view from the creator, understand the author’s goal, and identify the role of media in our culture. Think about what our beliefs and values would be about topics without the influence from media that we encounter. The media filters our perceptions and I think it is important for us to start reading in-between the lines of what truly is being said in the messages provided from the music we listen to, the movies we watch etc. It is important for us to become media literate not only to be beneficial to us especially as college students, but also further down the road, whenever we become parents. We want to make sure that our kids are exposed to the right type of media and we do not want them to get the wrong message from things because today’s youth is exposed to a ton of media that our parents and us did not have access to growing up.
So here is some advice for y’all … become media literate and know what kind of information your absorbing and see how it reflects in what you value and believe.
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