Media literacy is a skill used to process and analyze information we come across over a wide variety of different mediums. Julie Smith talks about media literacy in her interview with Dr. Miller and speaks on how someone proficient in this skill is able to ask the important questions about information they come across and disect/think critically about such information. Smith breaks it down that said person asks question about ” Who was the sender, what’s their motive, how is it created, who profits off of this information?” (Smith 2021) All obviously very important questions to ask when sorting through the slew of information we have to process online in todays day and age. Media literacy is both the means to ask questions and think critically about what we are exposed to, and also how to effectively use different media mediums to create digestible media’s for others to view.
Media literacy is so important for precisely that reason. Being able to question things like local news is an example of media literacy. If one were to take CHEK news for example at their word and not question whatsoever how they profit off of the content and messages they spread then that would not be someone who has good media literacy skills. If nobody possessed these skills, nothing would ever be questioned and we know how that usually ends up.
Media literacy is often such a dismissed skill for a multitude of reasons. The first of which being confirmation bias and human nature. We naturally seek out information that supports the answer we wish or already believe to be true. We seek out the media that supports our view point and then feel less inclined to evaluate it critically as we would an opposing media source. The other ignored side of media literacy in the sense of creation in that the purpose of media literacy in some capacity is to “Understand and effectively utilize the most appropriate expressions and interpretations in diverse, multicultural environments” (Trilling & Fadel, 2012). Which is something that is often overlooked as we its not easy to take a different perspective in media creation that is not intuitive to our own understanding of something. Media creation that can be processed and digested by a diverse group of people is an incredibly powerful yet underutilized skill.
You would want your PLN to have varied views but a factual consensus because you want to have diverse opinions, which may not always be the factual consensus. But part of reaching a factual consensus is including those opposing views and giving reason to why they are flawed. Varied views lead to a factual consensus. You need to have a proper and responsible consensus that adheres to reality and provides that truth but at the same time including a host of different views allows us to see that truth from a variety of angles
References
Miller, Jesse. EDCI 338 – MEDIA LITERACY with JULIE SMITH (2021) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57r3-aEnci0
Trilling, B. & Fadel, C. (2012). 21st Century skills: Learning for life in our times. John Wiley & Sons.
Hey Aidan,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You talk about media that is created for a diverse group of people being an under-utilized skill, and I agree. But it also makes me think of what Julie Smith said about that kind of media not being the kind that makes money. Media outlets cater to one type of person because that is how they make their money, which unfortunately feeds into the echochamber of affirmation we already create for ourselves.
Do you think there will be a time when the type of media you’re referring to (the type of media that caters to a wider audience) will ever be profitable enough to become a reality?
Hi Aidan,
I really agree with your idea that media literacy is dismissed because of human bias. we human beings tend to like the idea that same to us more than other diverse ideas. But this will make our horizon being not inclusive and diverse. We need to have an open mind to see various opinions, so we can understand why people think that way and not be fooled when we face complex situations.
Thank you for your insight! i really enjoy reading it!