What is Media Literacy?
Media Literacy is the “medium of delivering messages” (Trilling et al. 2009). Is the ability to access, evaluate, and create media content in various forms. It involves interpreting media sources such as social media and news sources, and understanding its influence on people and communities. From the podcast for the week the person being interviewed (Julie) mentioned that media literacy is changing everyday! They also mentioned the insane amount of influence that media literacy can have on people! Nowadays, influencers can influence people to buy the product that they’re selling, and a lot of people are compelled to buy that product to look like that influencer or be just like that influencer. In the interview, they brought up Fyre Festival which was sold as this luxurious festival with all the top artists who were featured in those advertisements to sell that product- and people bought into it. People will watch and buy into compelling news and advertisements, and that is how news stations make their money.
Why is it important?
Media literacy is important to inform others about political matters, news events, and various things going on in the world. The biggest example I can think of was the pandemic regarding updates on where to get vaccinations and health regulations. All of this information was given to us through online media resources including TV.
As discussed in the podcast, Julie mentioned as someone in an educational role, you can connect with other educators online. Through your PLN and online chat groups, educators can get feedback and guidance or help with problems that may arise in their classes!
Why is it dismissed?
Media can commonly be dismissed if it doesn’t follow your own views or opinions on something. As mentioned in the podcast by Julie, they said something which I found really interesting which was that- ‘we choose news outlets that are on our side, and follow our opinion’. They also mentioned that news is a business, and news talks about things that their viewers are interested in, and that’s how they make money. Possibly credible resources can be dismissed if they don’t follow what we usually see on the news through our news outlets or share our opinions on a matter.
Why should you aim for varied views but the factual consensus in your PLN?
Varied views in your Personal Learning Network help you diversify what information you’re learning, allow you to connect with others, and understand their opinions on different matters. It lets you to expand your critical thinking skills when analyzing and evaluating others ideas on topics. It also prevents biased opinions and information. When connecting with the same people with the same ideas, it can be an echo chamber where beliefs and opinions are continuously reinforced without learning anything new. When looking for reliable news, it is important to do your own research and look at various different sources to distinguish facts from opinions.
Open dialogues about media literacy and how factual information can create conflict. Why does this happen?
Thinking back on what was said in the podcast and from my own experience of what happened during to media literacy during the pandemic… different forms of media literacy can spread a lot of misinformation, and if that one person believes in that misinformation they will continue to seek news sources that feed them that misinformation. There was a lot of conflict between getting vaccinated, staying unvaccinated, wearing masks, not wearing masks etc. A lot of the information that some of these people believed in, were not coming from reliable sources. This then led to a lot of protests on the matter and created conflict within our communities.
What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?
Having a PLN that values media literacy allows you to create a collaborative learning environment. In these collaborative spaces we can better connect with each other and participate in online environments.
References:
Trilling, Bernie., & Fadel, Charles. (2009). 21st century skills learning for life in our times / Bernie Trilling and Charles Fadel. (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Smith, Julie. (2021). EDCI 338 – MEDIA LITERACY. Youtube Podcast.
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