What is media literacy?
For those of you who haven’t heard of this term before, it may seem a little confusing. Perhaps you know what ‘media’ and ‘literacy’ mean but haven’t heard them used together before. Before we can understand the term, we need to understand the meaning of media and literacy separately.
What is media?
Media is a broad term, and encompasses many different forms. Media is any communication outlet used to distribute information, entertainment and data. Essentially, media is the method by which messages are distributed to an audience.
When referred to as ‘mass media’ this is in relation to forms of media that can reach mass audiences in a short amount of time (such as newspapers and television). Let’s take a look at some other commonly used media:
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- Social media (this includes platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We use these to distribute content amongst our connections on these platforms)
- Film
- Radio
- Video games
- Books
- Artificial intelligence devices
What is literacy?
We can define literacy as the ability to identify, interpret, understand and communicate. Literacy skills include the ability to read, write, speak and listen effectively.
So, how do these two words tie together? Media literacy is the ability to understand information that is presented to us and respond appropriately. We need to make a conscious effort to understand how all forms of media are created and consumed. We’ll discuss why this is so important later in the article.
Click here to check this opportunity: SOLIDARITY ACROSS GENERATIONS
Activities