Are You New To Media Literacy?
Ugh. Like many new things, media literacy may be hard at first. It was for me. I had to get used to a new way of thinking about my dear old friends, movies, TV, music and books. I was so used to the idea that these shows, movies and books appeared magically from some other world, like fairies or chariots in the sky from religious scriptures.
Uncovering layers of meaning in a media message by asking the five media literacy questions can be as exciting as finding buried treasure. As a thinker and a creative artist, media literacy can become second nature to you, and a valuable part of your wheelhouse. It happens with practice and over time.
The Pay Off Is Worth The Work
In my work with college freshmen, I've found that for most students, becoming media literate requires time and willingness to experiment and play with media literacy questions and concepts. We ask deeper questions as we learn about more about media, its business models, history, and powerful impact it has on our lives. The movie lover directs their first feature length project. The doodler of classroom notebooks completes their first graphic novel. The music buff writes her first song and performs it at a talent show. The dancer becomes the choreographer of a stage production. A pastime turns into a passion, a casual interest into a committed creative journey.
Demystifying media was uncomfortable at first, like turning the bright lights on in a dim theater. Dorothy pulling back the curtain on old Oz.
Here are the tools. Are you ready to get started?
Media Literacy Five Questions
If technology tools like social media are your jam, and you want to take your skills to the next level, media literacy will separate the chimps from the King Kongs. The questions and concepts of media literacy are accessible to most if not all students from middle school and beyond.
Uncovering layers of meaning in a media message by asking the five media literacy questions can be as exciting as finding buried treasure. As a thinker and a creative artist, media literacy can become second nature to you, and a valuable part of your wheelhouse. It happens with practice and over time.
Media Literacy Concepts
Try this. Pick any random image or any media message from an online source or from a magazine or book.
Next, look at the image or media message through the lens of media literacy concepts.
Finally, reflect on what in your opinion works best in the image or media message and why. What made the message effective or not?
Try this. Pick any random image or any media message from an online source or from a magazine or book.
Next, look at the image or media message through the lens of media literacy concepts.
Finally, reflect on what in your opinion works best in the image or media message and why. What made the message effective or not?
We love media. For many, it's the friend who is always there for you. Even if we enjoy the comfort that our old friends provide, it is still important to ask critical questions. Because media is not magic, it is a mega million dollar industry. Being media literate means more than having skills to access, analyze, evaluate and create media messages. Media literacy helps us to see media as a business that trades in our attention to make money.
Knowing who paid for the message, what its purpose is, what techniques were used to catch our attention, how others might see the message differently, and what lifestyles, values and points of view were included and which were excluded help us to see the message from new perspectives.
Knowing who paid for the message, what its purpose is, what techniques were used to catch our attention, how others might see the message differently, and what lifestyles, values and points of view were included and which were excluded help us to see the message from new perspectives.
The Pay Off Is Worth The Work
In my work with college freshmen, I've found that for most students, becoming media literate requires time and willingness to experiment and play with media literacy questions and concepts. We ask deeper questions as we learn about more about media, its business models, history, and powerful impact it has on our lives. The movie lover directs their first feature length project. The doodler of classroom notebooks completes their first graphic novel. The music buff writes her first song and performs it at a talent show. The dancer becomes the choreographer of a stage production. A pastime turns into a passion, a casual interest into a committed creative journey.
The shift happens over time with playful experimenting. The fairies and chariots in the clouds give way to understanding media and its potential for truth telling or truth shaping.
This is ultimately the most important gift media literacy offers: Use the questions and concepts to identify and prevent persuasive and powerful messages that don't have our best interests in mind.
Is that worth the time, effort and adjustments of learning a few key questions and concepts? Absolutely.
Media literacy and its gifts has been one of my life's most rewarding insights. I've been a lifetime student of media literacy and apply the questions and concepts to my own video and writing projects. I think it's also influenced me to rein in my social media consumption and spend less time doom scrolling or comparing myself to others.
This is ultimately the most important gift media literacy offers: Use the questions and concepts to identify and prevent persuasive and powerful messages that don't have our best interests in mind.
Is that worth the time, effort and adjustments of learning a few key questions and concepts? Absolutely.
Media literacy and its gifts has been one of my life's most rewarding insights. I've been a lifetime student of media literacy and apply the questions and concepts to my own video and writing projects. I think it's also influenced me to rein in my social media consumption and spend less time doom scrolling or comparing myself to others.
