National Media Education Week

National Media Education Week

Before reading this assignment, I had no idea such a week existed. So going into it I thought it would be a good idea to research and find out what exactly it means to be “media literate”. By definition, media literacy is the ability access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in all its forms (television, print, billboard etc.). To be literate we have to understand our role as well as our relationship with the media in order to be a wise consumer, and good citizen.

To be media literate, we must understand a few things about the message.

We need to know:

Who sent the message?
The population needs to know who the author of this message is

What techniques were used to draw your attention?
Understanding what the message did to grab your attention is vital. Media is a beautiful thing so it could be something that was visually appealing, or just a hilarious line.

How can the message be misinterpreted?
Knowing that people view different things in different ways, we must be able to look at the message from another angle. For example, the Bud Light commercial our media class witnessed at the beginning of the year is a prime example of how a message can be misunderstood. Some of us may look at the commercial as a comical time line of men getting away from their wives to hang out with the guys, but others may see it as offensive, and get the message that throughout history men have been able to create events and objects to “out fox” their wives. The second approach is where heated debates come about. And finally there are those who take it for what it is, another beer commercial trying to get a cheap laugh (which generally works).

And finally,

We need to understand WHY the message was sent?
All media organizations are organized to gain profit, power, or awareness. Profit is very important to most companies, and I don’t think I need to explain why. Power is second to profit; many media organizations pride themselves in being able to manipulate consumers into doing exactly what they want. And lastly, gaining awareness is also why a message would be sent, whether it be a new ipod product, or a M.A.D.D commercial.

Knowing these things prior to media education week was essential for me. I felt that I was a pretty comfortable recognizing what the media wants from me exactly. Asking myself these questions helped me look at things from different angles and actually ended up with more questions than I had before.