What is media literacy?
According to Trilling and Fadel’s article, “Media literacy in this context refers to the medium of delivering messages (print, graphics, animation, audio, video, Web sites, and so on), the crafting of the message for a particular medium”. In popular terms, it refers to a person’s attitude and ability to understand, judge and use the media. It also refers to people’s ability to choose, understand, question, evaluate, create, produce and respond critically when facing various media information. To put it simply, when we see a piece of news, we will consciously add our own opinions or criticisms, as well as our own doubts, which is the embodiment of our own media literacy.
Why is it important?
With the development of The Times, the connotation of media literacy is also extended, which includes people’s ability to make rational use of media to disseminate information for personal and social development. As the “natives” of the internet, we have grown up with the Internet. But to be a qualified netizen, we still need to keep learning and improving ourselves. First of all, we should try to be an wise person. After the rise of network media, information release has become no threshold, and dissemination is extremely fast. In many cases, “the truth is still putting on its shoes and the lies are all over town”.
Why is it dismissed?
“Sometimes we tend to be more interested in what we believe than what is true”(Smith, 2021). In today’s society, social media gives everyone the right to express themselves, but many people don’t take the responsibility to express themselves well. Sometimes, the public mood will be incited and guided by the unscrupulous media, people in the mass anger into the collective unconscious, lost rational thinking and judgment between the words, only blind emotional catharsis. It just shows that these people have not received a complete media literacy education and have not exercised their critical thinking. They just stick to their own ideas and have not learned to view media information in a fair way.
Why should you aim for varied views but the factual consensus in your PLN?
Modern network media will use big data to analyze users’ interests and push targeted information, so we are increasingly surrounded by all kinds of deliberately “feeding” information. This phenomenon can be described figuratively as an “information cocoon house” — people weave information based on their interests and end up weaving themselves into a “cocoon house”. Confined to the “information cocoon house” of biased thinking, how to make correct judgment and decision?
If we want to get out of this dilemma, we need to break through our prejudices and broaden our horizons to view the world and access information with a more open and inclusive mind. We should patiently listen to opinions and opinions that are different from our own, and try to understand some unfamiliar areas of knowledge. Life is not a single choice question, we can not limit ourselves in a well, a cocoon. Only by breaking out of the “information cocoon”, and the world will be more inclusive and diverse.
References
Miller, J. (2021). EDCI 338-MEDIA LITERACY with JULIE SMITH. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=57r3-aEnci0&feature=youtu.be
Trilling, B, & Fadel, C. (2012). Digital Literacy Skills. Retrieved from:Â https://learning-oreilly-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/library/view/21st-century-skills/9780470475386/fade_9780470475386_oeb_c04_r1.html#h3
Hey Joerica!
I enjoyed reading your definition of media literacy and its importance. I agree with you that the public can be guided by the media; thats why it’s so important to remain critical of it and unbiased. Great blog post!
Hi Harmeet. Love to see your comment! I am glad we see eye to eye on media literacy!
Joerica 🙂
Hi Joerica,
As I was reading through the notes and watching the videos, I was able to learn what media literacy is, its importance, factors that can cause conflict, and how and why it should be adapted in PLNs. Most importantly, it allows users to evaluate the credibility of media and safely engage in online discussions. It also encourages proactive behaviour and a strong sense of digital citizenship. Media and information literacy improve people’s ability to exercise their fundamental human rights.
Hi Jiaqi.
I think you have a good understanding of media literacy, which is a basic skill that everyone who uses the internet needs to have. To discern, to reflect, and we can have a pleasant experience on the Internet.
Joerica 🙂