Media Literacy and Media History - Introduction PDF

MCM 102 - Introduction to Media literacy Dr Maria Laura Ruiu IN THESE SESSIONS What is Media Literacy Characteristics and dimensions of media literacy Development of Media Literacy Learning Outcomes Explain the importance of being media literate....

MCM 102 - Introduction to Media literacy Dr Maria Laura Ruiu IN THESE SESSIONS What is Media Literacy Characteristics and dimensions of media literacy Development of Media Literacy Learning Outcomes Explain the importance of being media literate. Recognizing the constitutive aspects of media literacy MEDIA LITERACY APPROACH (Potter, 2021) Chapter 2 Let’s start with your ideas Analyse how the mass media affect your everyday lives (provide examples) Explain what the term media literacy means Discuss the importance of developing media literacy skills 5  What is Media Literacy? Important notes: These slides are only an introduction to the topic and are designed to support you read independently around the subject  Media literacy encompasses the ability to critically analyze and understand various forms of media beyond traditional literacy. It includes: Visual Literacy: Understanding visual messages. Story Literacy: Ability to follow narratives in various What is Media Literacy? media. Computer Literacy: Skills related to creating and consuming digital content. Media literacy considers all forms of media and their impact on individuals and society. 7 What is media literacy? Media literacy, as a concept, is multifaceted, with scholars offering diverse perspectives on its meaning. It is the ability to apply critical thinking skills to the mass media, thereby becoming a more aware and responsible citizen in a media-driven society Media literacy transforms users into active participants and citizens, aligning with engagement and empowerment ideals Crucial topic in the literature Media literacy has emerged as a prominent and crucial topic of interest, garnering attention not only among media scholars but also within the broader community of educators, consumer activists, and parents. The sheer volume of literature dedicated to media literacy, with over 18,700 articles on Google Scholar alone, reflects its significance in the face of evolving mass media  Some view media as harmful, while others see them as offering positive effects. Technologies like texting and social media are debated for their impact on writing skills. Media literacy encourages openness to both positive and negative effects of media. Different Perspectives: 10  The Three Building Blocks of Media Literacy: 1. Skills: 2. Knowledge Structures: Critical thinking skills are crucial for media Organizing what is learned from media into literacy. meaningful structures. Seven specific skills: analysis, evaluation, Adaptation and refinement of knowledge grouping, induction, deduction, synthesis, structures based on new information. and abstraction. These skills are used to analyze, evaluate, and understand media messages. 3. Personal Locus: Mental energy and direction towards media literacy. Motivation to engage with media critically and thoughtfully. 11  Skills in Detail: Analysis: Breaking down messages into meaningful elements. Evaluation: Judging the value of message elements based on standards (e.g., identifying gender stereotypes). Grouping: Determining similarities and differences among elements (e.g., similar news reporting styles). Induction: Inferring patterns across elements and generalizing (e.g., a pattern in how certain news outlets cover events). Deduction: Using general principles to explain particulars (e.g., knowing that headlines regarding certain events can be sensational). Synthesis: Assembling information elements to reveal new relationships (form a comprehensive understanding of the situation). Abstraction: Extracting the essence of a message concisely.  Let's excercise Analysis: Breaking down messages into meaningful elements. Evaluation: Judging the value of message elements based Let's watch the video: The Little Mermaid" - on standards. "Poor Unfortunate Souls" Grouping: Determining similarities and differences among https://youtu.be/Gi58pN8W3hY?feature=sh elements (e.g., comparing ariel with voice/without voice or ared&t=91 comparing Ariel with other characters). APPLY THE SKILLS THAT WE HAVE JUST Induction: Inferring patterns across elements and INTRODUCED generalizing. Deduction: Using general principles to explain particulars. Content: In this scene, Ursula convinces Ariel to give up her voice to become Synthesis: Assembling information elements to reveal new human, emphasizing that her look is more relationships. important than her ability to speak. Abstraction: Summarizing and extracting the essence of a message concisely.  Why it’s problematic: Analysis: Grouping: Content: The scene suggests that a woman’s Ariel and Belle (Beauty and the Beast): value is tied to her appearance rather than her voice or agency. Both characters have storylines centered around romantic relationships and sacrifice Key elements: Ursula’s manipulation, for love. emphasis on Ariel’s beauty; need for Ariel to sacrifice for love; and Ursula’s rhetoric They are driven by a desire for love and about suggesting that Ariel's beauty alone connection with a male character (Prince will win the prince’s heart. Eric for Ariel, the Beast for Belle). Evaluation: problematic gender norms In both cases beauty is a virtue (to where a woman’s physical appearance is win/save the man they love). prioritized over her ability to express herself. However, Belle challenges these This perpetuates the stereotype that women stereotypes with her intellectual should be seen and not heard. independence  Why it’s problematic: Induction: Ariel’s story aligns with Deduction: Deductively, this could the pattern created by Disney's correspond and contribute to a movies, where her worth is linked to societal expectation that women her appearance, and she must should prioritize their looks and be sacrifice to achieve her goal. willing to silence themselves to achieve social or romantic success. It reflects a recurring theme in media, reinforcing traditional gender norms and the idea that beauty is a woman’s most valuable asset.  Why it’s problematic: Synthesis: The scene connects Abstraction: The scene conveys beauty to power through the a message about femininity and combination of its narrative/scene sacrifice, elements. It reflects and reinforces The synthesis of the traditional gender roles, narrative/scene elements reveals a troubling relationship where where women are encouraged to beauty is exalted at the expense prioritize their appearance and of agency, conform to passive, silent roles to achieve their desires, particularly suggesting that external in romantic contexts. appearance is more powerful and desirable than inner strength or individuality.  Some examples of questions to be investigated Analysis: Break down the tv scene by listing the main characters Deduction: can you identify any media tendencies and the main storytelling points. that are reflected in the movie under consideration? Reference sources (e.g., Makharesh et al., 2013) Grouping: How are potential settings on other Disney movies the same/different? Synthesis: How do the combination of elements identified combine to convey the message? Contrast the original lyrics of "Arabian Nights" with the revised version. Abstracting: Can you describe the essence of what Evaluation: Which of the storytelling points were the strongest? the scene communicates in a couple of short Which were the weakest? What is the theme of this movie? Is the sentences? info/picture provided good/faulty? Induction: Does the representation in the movie match with other similar media representations (e.g., TV shows, films, advertisements), and what broader implications can we draw about societal attitudes or stereotypes from these patterns? Makharesh, Ahmed O., Manasar Alharethi, and Christopher Campbell. "Ideologies and stereotypes of arab culture in the media: an analysis of coke's 2013 super bowl commercial." Journal of Management Information & Decision Sciences 25.3 (2022): 1-10.  The Three Building Blocks of Media Literacy: 1. Skills: 2. Knowledge Structures: Critical thinking skills are crucial for media Organizing what is learned from media into literacy. meaningful structures. Seven specific skills: analysis, evaluation, Adaptation and refinement of knowledge grouping, induction, deduction, synthesis, structures based on new information. and abstraction. These skills are used to analyze, evaluate, and understand media messages. 18  Understanding Knowledge Structures: Knowledge structures are organized sets of information in our memory, similar to maps guiding us through our understanding of the world. Information needs to be carefully organized to form useful structures that help us interpret our surroundings. Differentiating Information and Knowledge: Information is the raw material, while knowledge is structured, organized, and enduring. Information: Piecemeal and transient, resides in messages. Knowledge: Structured, organized, and enduring, resides in the mind. Information is facts, while knowledge provides context and meaning.  Knowledge Structures in Media Literacy: Messages deliver both factual and social information. Factual Information: Discrete bits of information like names, dates, titles. Social Information: Accepted beliefs inferred from social interactions. Categorize each statement within the media excerpts as either factual information or social information. The United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Dubai on November 30, 2023. "Millennials got so many participation trophies growing up that a recent study showed that 40% believe they should be promoted every two years,. regardless of performance. They are fame-obsessed: three times as many middle school girls want to grow up to be a personal assistant to a famous person as want to be a Senator, according to a 2007 survey; four times as many would pick the assistant job over CEO of a major corporation" (Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation, 2013) In 1992, the nonprofit Families and Work Institute reported that 80% of people under 23 wanted to one day have a job with greater responsibility; 10 years later, only 60% did (Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation, 2013) "The Scientific Reason Men Like Sports More Than Women" (The Times, 2016).  Knowledge Structures in Media Literacy: FIVE AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE STRUCTURES IN MEDIA LITERACY: Media Effects: Understanding the impact of media on individuals and society. Media Content: Knowledge about various types of media content and their characteristics. Media Industries: Understanding the structures and operations of media industries. The Real World: Experiential knowledge gained from real-world experiences. The Self: Understanding oneself and personal experiences. Assessment and Development: Developing knowledge structures in various media-related areas enhances overall media literacy.  The Three Building Blocks of Media Literacy: 1. Skills: 2. Knowledge Structures: Critical thinking skills are crucial for media Organizing what is learned from media into literacy. meaningful structures. Seven specific skills: analysis, evaluation, Adaptation and refinement of knowledge grouping, induction, deduction, synthesis, structures based on new information. and abstraction. These skills are used to analyze, evaluate, and understand media messages. 3. Personal Locus: Mental energy and direction towards media literacy. Motivation to engage with media critically and thoughtfully. 23  Understanding Personal Locus: Personal locus refers to goals and Awareness of personal goals helps drives that shape information direct information seeking and processing in media literacy. processing. Goals determine what information Strong drives for information lead to is filtered in and what is ignored. more effort in achieving goals. Drives for information determine Engaging personal locus increases the effort expended to attain goals. media literacy by allowing control over media influence. Characteristics and Dimensions of Media Literacy  Characteristics of Media Literacy: Multidimensional Nature: Media literacy involves perspectives along four dimensions: cognitive, emotional, aesthetic, and moral. Each dimension focuses on a different aspect of understanding media messages. Continuum, Not a Category: Media literacy is not a fixed category but a continuum that can be developed and expanded. It's about having a range of skills and perspectives across different dimensions.  Dimensions of Media Literacy: Cognitive Dimension: Focuses on factual information like names, dates, and definitions. Fundamental for building media literacy perspectives. Emotional Dimension: Focuses on perceiving and understanding emotions triggered by media messages. Includes both strong and subtle emotions and their impact on interpretation. Aesthetic Dimension: Focuses on the artistic and creative aspects of media messages. Involves judgments about craftsmanship, composition, and visual manipulation. Moral Dimension: Focuses on values and judgments of right and wrong portrayed in media messages. Requires understanding moral themes and underlying values in narratives.  Let’s do it – Dove campaign Focus on Cognitive Dimension: factual information like names, dates, and definitions. Emotional Dimension: emotions triggered by media messages. Aesthetic Dimension: artistic and creative aspects of media messages. Moral Dimension: values and judgments of right and wrong portrayed in media messages.  Question for discussion and critical thinking To what extent does advertising, exemplified by the Dove Campaign, contribute to formulating racially biased beauty standards? What are the adverse consequences of such influence?  W id ely c rit icized fo r per petu ating rac ist ste reo ty pe s an d pro mo tin g a har mfu l mes sage ab o ut b eau ty stan dards. D amage to b ran d H i st o r ic a l m e s s ag e s re pu tat io n as a res ult of t he cam paig n. T he co nt rove rsy qu ick ly sp re ad acro ss so cial media platfo rm s, w ith man y u ser s sh ar in g t heir t ho ug ht s an d co nd em ning t he ad. Dove issued a public ap ology a nd wi thdrew the advertisem ent. X Sex Critical thinking Why do you think is it important for a consumer to be media literate? Why you think is it important for a media expert to be critical about the effects of their media campaign? Does the public reaction to Dove campaign show that the public is not just a passive recipient of media messages?  Position on the Continuum: Everyone occupies a position on the media literacy continuum. What does it imply that media literacy is a There's always room for improvement. continuum and not a fixed category? Quality of Knowledge Structures: Identify the effects on society Quality depends on the level of skills and experiences of an individual. Advantages and disadvantages Variation in Media Literacy: Due to substantial variations in skills and experiences, there's a wide range of media literacy across individuals. Lower levels of media literacy result in fewer perspectives on media and less organized knowledge structures. Characteristics of Lower Media Literacy Levels: Fewer Perspectives: People with lower media literacy have fewer perspectives on media. Limited Knowledge Structures: Their knowledge structures contain little information and are less organized. Limited Understanding: They have less ability to understand media and appreciate its advantages. Vulnerability to Risks: They may be less able to protect themselves from potential risks associated with media. Underdeveloped Skills: Skills remain underdeveloped and are more difficult to employ successfully. Development of Media Literacy  How do you judge your media literacy? In group: Please, identify the main phases/stages that allowed you to acquire media literacy in terms of skills, knowledge structures and personal locus (WHEN DID IT HAPPEN AND HOW?) What parameters do you use to evaluate media literacy? How do you choose and evaluate media content? How do you think media content influences your choices (make an example)? What categories of people are most vulnerable to the negative effects of media exposure? Developmental Stages of Media Literacy: Acquiring Fundamentals: First year of life. Language Acquisition: Years 2 and 3. Narrative Acquisition: Years 3 to 5. Developmental Stages of Media Literacy: Developing Skepticism: Around ages 5 to 9. Intensive Development: Following the skepticism stage. Experiential Exploring: Seeking exposure to a wider range of media messages. Critical Appreciation: Becoming connoisseurs of media, developing strongly held opinions. Social Responsibility: Concerned with the impact of media messages on society. Moving Through Stages: Moving up a stage requires conscious effort and motivation. People may move between stages depending on their needs and motivations. Advantages of Developing Higher Media Literacy: 1.Increased Variety: Greater appetite for diverse media messages. 2.Programming Mental Codes: Learning how to shape one's own perspectives and understanding. 3.Exercising Control: Ability to exert more control over media consumption and interpretation. Appetite for a Wider Variety of Media Messages: Media Conditioning: Media often guide our choices by conditioning us to prefer certain types of content. Limited Choice: While we technically have choices, media conditioning limits our options. Expanding Choices: Media literacy encourages exploring a wider range of messages to be more involved in our choices and discover new, useful content. More Self-Programming of Mental Codes: Media literacy empowers individuals to make their own decisions about media exposure and meaning construction. Reducing Media Influence: Higher media literacy allows individuals to program their mental codes, reducing the influence of media programming. Appetite for a Wider Variety of Media Messages: Examining Standards: Individuals can examine and replace faulty standards and beliefs with those more aligned with their goals. More Control over Media: Increasing media literacy grants more control over media exposures and their effects. Defaulting to Media Control: Lower media literacy leads to defaulting to media control, where media influence shapes behavior. Recognizing Choices: Media literacy helps recognize when personal goals differ from media goals, giving the ability to make informed choices. Broadening Our Perspective on Chapter 3, Potter, 2021 Media Effects Bibliographical suggestions Lewis, J., & Jhally, S. (1998). The struggle over media literacy. Journal of communication, 48(1), 109-120. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1998.tb02741.x Aufderheide, P. (2018). Media literacy: From a report of the national leadership conference on media literacy. In Media Literacy Around the World (pp. 79-86). Routledge. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED365294.pdf Five principles of media literacy. Quoted from Media Literacy Resource Guide. Ontario Ministry of Education, 1989. pp. 8-9. https://web Turow, J. (2023). Media Today. Mass Communication in a Converging World. Routledge WHAT CAN THE EFFECTS OF SUCH HEADLINES BE? Herald Sun and Daily Telegraph.