We spend a good amount of our time consuming some form of communication be through online news resources, social networks, streaming videos, ads, etc. The average US adult spends 10+ hours watching TV, listening to the radio, browsing the web, or on their phone. The average teenager/tween spends roughly 6 to 9 hours. With the prevalence of multiple online sources feeding us content and the rise of misinformation through these platforms and the ability for anyone to become a content creator, it has become more imperative that we need to have a better understanding of the media and content we consume.
Canada has been teaching media literacy in schools for a number of years. The American Academy of Pediatrics has linked health and media literacy through targeted advertising for smoking, nutrition, sleep health, body image or alcohol.
Media literacy is composed of many different subjects from psychology to ethics and critical thinking. The National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) defines media literacy as:
Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create and act using all forms of communication.
Source: https://namle.net/publications/media-literacy-definitions/
No matter the vehicle for the information, someone had to create the content with some reasoning behind it. Media literacy is the understanding of that reason. The creator has certain experiences that influence what they create, these experiences can be read as the creators baggage. The person or people consuming the media bring their own baggage, which determines how they interpret the intended message. Understanding the difference between a piece of medias message and effect can be very nuanced.
All Language is Coded
Before a message is distributed the creator encodes the message with a number of meaning, ideas and symbols that is meant for the recipient to understand. The consumer receiving the message has their own ideas, definitions and symbols and in turn decodes the message to decipher the media’s meaning, according to British Sociologist Stuart Hall.
Hall’s theory of encoding/decoding is a rejection of Textual Determinism, the idea behind the meaning of the message is sent and received in its entirety, just as intended, every time. Hall gave more credit to the messages consumer than his predecessors.
Literacy and Reaction-ism
The idea of Protectionism usually comes in two forms. The form that has created the most debate over the past several decades is moral defensiveness, because it can quickly turn into a moral panic. Corruption of our children or youths are usually attributed to violence in video games or the media they consume. Moral panic is the reaction to perceived threats to societal norms. Focused on the content contained in the message parents, legislators and educators learn about, get concerned by, then act to neutralize the threat posed.
Sociologist Stanley Cohen, has stated that these responses are often based in racism, sexism and stereotypes. If you’re old enough to remember, there was a moral panic called the “Satanic Panic” of the 80’s and 90’s. That panic resulted in a new form of witch hunt, where witnesses were coerced into accusations and so called experts were using hypnotic regression to relive supposed trauma’s at the hands of satanic cults and devil worshipers. It destroyed countless lives leaving ruined reputations in its wake.
A Something and Technological Shift
In the 1960’s there was a shift in media literacy that argued that empowering students to use and understand media could help them navigate the real world. The medium became the message, in what we say is not as important as the platform we deliver the message on. Look at how social networks have taken over the conversation in the past 15 years. People are forming new habits around sharing information online. Media literacy is now about how to prepare people to create and receive messages.
Media literacy advocates are asking:
- When do consumers become creators?
- How does media help audiences make decisions?
- How can we help empower media users from a young age?
In my opinion, media literacy should be taught once a child enters 1st or 2nd grade in the school system, but the conversations you have should be a joint effort at home as is in school like any other subject. Possibly incorporating the conversation around literacy is worked into an everyday activity? Encourage those critical thinking skills with toy commercials or memes or cartoons. Make the subject matter relatable to the age of the audience, but always leave them asking why and how does this affect me?
Ask things like:
- Who created this? A company or a person?
- What was their reason for creating this? Was it funny? Is it a news story? Are they trying to sell you something?
- Who was their message for? A certain group? Kids? Adults?
- What makes this message credible?
- Are there any details left out?
- How does the message make you feel?
Hopefully this gives you some insight into what media literacy is and where to begin your conversation or even your own research. I’m more than likely going to turn this into a series because this is just the tip of the iceberg, there’s a lot more to explore.
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