Media Litracy

Introduction: 

-I made a research about (Media Literacy) for the Issues In Mass Communication course. The reason for choosing this topic is its major importance in media studies.  and I want to share with you  the Summary of my research ..

  

 

What is media literacy ?

Media literacy takes on slightly different meanings depending on the orientation of the entity, I gathered four useful definitions:

1- "The ability to choose, to understand, to question, to evaluate, to create and/or produce and to respond thoughtfully to the media we consume".

2-"The ability of a citizen to access, analyze, and produce information for specific outcomes".

3- "The right to acquire information and skills necessary to participate fully in public deliberation and communication. This requires facility in reading, writing, and storytelling; critical media awareness; computer literacy, and education about the role of communication in society".

4- "Being a critical and reflective consumer of communication requires an understanding of how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in ways that are both subtle and profound". 

 

- Elements of media literacy: 

1. An awareness of the impact of media. Mass media have changed the world and the people in it, and if we didn’t notice their impact, we run the risk of being caught up by the change, rather than controlling it.

2. An understanding of the process of mass communication. Knowing the elements of the mass communication process and how they connect to one another, we can form expectations of how they can be useful for us.

3. Strategies for analyzing and discussing media messages. We need a good base of thinking and reflecting the media massages thoughtfully.

4. An understanding of media content as a text that provides insight into our culture and our lives. Through communication we know cultures and their people, attitudes, values, concerns, and myths. It's insight and let us knows everything.

5. The ability to enjoy, understand, and appreciate media content. People should learn to enjoy, understand, and appreciate media by taking the advantage of them , and not being suspicious of harmful effects and degradation. 

Importance of Media Literacy:

1- Because it makes you a better citizen, Media literate people understand that media are constructed to convey ideas, information and news from someone else's perspective.

-They understand that specific techniques are used to create emotional effects.

-They are aware that the media benefit some people, but leave others out.

-Media literate people seek alternative sources of information and entertainment, also, they use the media for their own advantage and enjoyment. In this way, media literate people are better citizens.

2- Media saturation, Television is not the only mass medium that accounts for media saturation. When one considers pop music, radio, newspapers, magazines, computers and video games- in addition to TV- we are exposed to more mass media messages in one day than our grandparents were in a month.

3- The storytellers of our generation, Media bring the world into our homes. From them, we learn about war and peace, the environment, new scientific discoveries, and so on.

-In other words, almost everything we know about people, places, and events that we cannot visit firsthand, comes from the media.

-We also rely on media for entertainment and pleasure.

-Television and film have become the storytellers of our generation: these stories tell us about who we are, what we believe, and what we want to be.

4- Five reasons for teaching media literacy:

I-We live in a mediated environment.

2- Media literacy emphasizes critical thinking.

3- Being media literate is part of being an educated citizen.

4- Media literacy promotes active participation in a media saturated environment.

5- Media education helps us to understand communication technologies.

 

How to execute media literacy in Omani schools and universities?

• We can execute media literacy by using more visual aids in our teaching institutes.

• The most important method is by including courses in the university student’s curriculum and to be more precise under the college of education.

• As well an introduction to media literacy in schools.

• Encourage the use of social networks.

• Establish computer labs in the facilities.

References:

 1- Anonymous, Media Literacy Project: Introduction to Media Literacy.

2- Baran,Stanley J. , Introduction to MASS communication , (California:Mayfeild Publishing Company, 1999).

3.http://archives.cnn.com/2000/fyi/teachers.tools/10/16/ask.expert.trampiets2/index.html., October 17, 2000.  

4- Malik, Sajjad , Media Literacy and its Importance,  ( Islamabad: Manzil Printers Posh Arcade,2008) .

5- Ministry of education of UK, A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, volume 7.