Media Literacy: 10th Edition Quiz

Study Notes

Founded in 1965 by Sara Miller McCune
Dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge
Publishes 1000 journals and over 600 new books annually
Offers various library products: archives, data, case studies, and video
Remains majority-owned by its founder and will become owned by a charitable trust after her lifetime, ensuring the company's continued independence.

Media literacy is vital for understanding media's impact on individuals and society.
It goes beyond traditional literacy, encompassing visual, story, and computer literacy.
The ability to critically analyze and understand various forms of media is essential.
It empowers individuals to become active participants and responsible citizens.

Scholars and educators increasingly recognize the significance of media literacy.
Over 18,700 articles on Google Scholar alone highlight its importance.
Media literacy is relevant for educators, consumer activists, and parents.

Different perspectives exist on media's influence: some see potential harm, others see positive effects.
The impact of technologies like texting and social media on writing skills is debated.
Media literacy encourages openness to both positive and negative aspects of media.

Three fundamental components contribute to media literacy: skills, knowledge structures, and personal locus.

Seven critical thinking skills are essential: analysis, evaluation, grouping, induction, deduction, synthesis, and abstraction.
These skills are applied to analyze, evaluate, and understand media messages.

Represents the mental energy and direction individuals dedicate to media literacy.
Motivation to engage with media critically and thoughtfully.

Analysis: Breaking down messages into meaningful components.
Evaluation: Judging the value of message elements using established standards, like identifying gender stereotypes.
Grouping: Identifying similarities and differences among elements, such as comparing news reporting styles.
Induction: Inferring patterns across elements and generalizing, e.g., noticing a pattern in how certain news outlets cover events.
Deduction: Applying general principles to explain specific situations, e.g., understanding how headlines about particular events can be sensationalized.
Synthesis: Combining information elements to reveal new relationships and form a comprehensive understanding.
Abstraction: Extracting the essence of a message, capturing its core meaning.

Four-Dimensional Tool for understanding media effects:
- Timing: Immediate effects happen during or after media exposure (e.g., fear from a horror movie). Long-term effects develop gradually over time (e.g., materialistic values from years of ads).
- Valence: Positive effects meet personal goals or needs (e.g., getting useful information). Negative effects clash with personal goals (e.g., addiction).
- Intentionality: Intentional effects are the desired outcomes (e.g., seeking entertainment). Unintentional effects are unforeseen consequences (e.g., nightmares after a horror movie).
- Type: Behavioral effects change behaviors (e.g., aggression after watching violence). Cognitive effects change knowledge or thinking patterns (e.g., learning new information). Belief effects alter personal beliefs or perceptions (e.g., believing the world is dangerous). Attitudinal effects shift attitudes or opinions (e.g., hating a social group based on media). Physiological effects are bodily responses (e.g., increased heart rate). Emotional effects change emotional states (e.g., happiness, sadness, fear).

Short-Term Effects:
- Agenda-Setting: Media emphasize certain topics, influencing their importance in the public's mind
- Priming: Media activate related thoughts and emotions, influencing how people process information or respond to events
- Framing: Media present information and issues in specific ways, influencing the audiences' understanding
Long-Term Effects:
- These are gradual and harder to link to specific media exposures.
- For example, developing materialistic values from years of watching advertisements