Week Two: Blog Posting #3 - Media Literacy

In today’s society, we are inundated with media messages that reach and influence us from the smartphone in the palm of our hand to the grocery store cart. The accessibility of businesses, companies, political groups, common interest groups etc. to get a message in front of hundreds of thousands of people using a variety of media types within a short amount of time has become the norm. An important question given this infiltration of media is how well we make sense of it and use it.
Literacy by definition according to the Oxford Dictionary means a competence or knowledge in a specified area. Media is defined as anything that communicates. Therefore media literacy is a competence in communication. Jane Tallim in responding to questions about the difference between media literacy and media education, states the following as a definition of media literacy.
“Media literacy is the ability to sift through and analyze the messages that inform, entertain and sell to us every day. It's the ability to bring critical thinking skills to bear on all media—from music videos and Web environments to product placement in films and virtual displays on NHL hockey boards. It's about asking pertinent questions about what's there, and noticing what's not there. And it's the instinct to question what lies behind media productions—the motives, the money, the values and the ownership—and to be aware of how these factors influence content.”
To further define media literacy, Elizabeth Thoman (1995), suggests that there are 3 stages within the road to “media empowerment.” She outlines the initial stage as an awareness stage. This stage is defined as the making choices stage, an awareness of the importance of managing your own media consumption.
The second stage is characterized by developing an analytical lens. This stage includes the skill of critical viewing, and the ability to produce and use media on a personal level.
The third stage digs deeper in unraveling the “who” behind the media. Questioning everything from who creates or produces the media and for what reason. This inquiry and analysis stage considers social, political and economic impact of both the media message and the type.
Media literacy is a competency that needs to be addressed in schools to provide students with the opportunity to think critically about the media influences that are rampant in our society so they are critical consumers and smart users.
Retrieved 9/14/09 at http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/media_literacy/what_is_media_literacy.cfm
Elizabeth Thoman, Founder and President, Center for Media Literacy, 1995.