MEDIA LITERACY-THE NEED OF THE HOUR

Dr. A K Sharma

“If you are on social media, and you are not learning, not laughing, not being inspired or not networking, then you are using it wrong”-Germany Kent

I was viewing TV with my grandson suddenly he asked, “Papa, Are we not taking real salt” I said,” Why” He said,” because Ankur salt is the real salt” and he pointed out towards TV, then I explained him about the salt. Similarly, an advertisement of Pan masala is shown as “Kuch Kar Aisa, Duniya Ban Na  chahe tere jaisa” (Do something special that the world wants to be like you)and in small words, it is written, “Pan masala is injurious to health”. The content of the advertisement has no relevance with the product but in the end, the hero eats masala.  In these circumstances, it is essential that our children should identify right with the wrong and these advertisements can’t make them fool.

Media literacy is the ability to identify different types of media and understand the messages they're sending. Children take in a huge amount of information from a wide array of sources, far beyond the traditional media (TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines). There are text messages, memes, viral videos, social media, video games, internet games, advertising, and more. But all media shares one thing: Someone created it. And it was created for a reason. Understanding that reason is the basis of media literacy. 

The digital age has made it easy for anyone to create media. Most of us have smartphones and we can create anything anywhere or sometimes receive forwarded messages without knowing who created it, why they created it, and what is its credibility. The same happens with Facebook, Instagram & tweeter handles. Today when the Government is going to digitalize all documents, all applications, transactions, it is necessary that our children know about media literacy. These make media literacy tricky to learn and teach. Nonetheless, media literacy is an essential skill in the digital age and specifically, it helps children:

·         Learn to think critically. As children evaluate media, they decide whether the messages make sense, why certain information was included, what wasn't included, and what the key ideas are. They learn to use examples to support their opinions. Then they can make up their own minds about the information based on the knowledge they already have. Now a day few advertisements are shown where the language about the product is exaggerated or no relevance with the product or with the actual life. Children think critically to reach a correct decision

·         Become a smart consumer of products and information. Media literacy helps children learn how to determine whether something is credible. It also helps them determine the "persuasive intent" of advertising and resist the techniques marketers use to sell products. Number of products are available with the smart digital campaign, now children can judge between various products and their information

·         Recognize the point of view. Every creator has a perspective. Identifying an author's point of view helps children appreciate different perspectives. It also helps put information in the context of what they already know or think they know. Repetition, the information conveyed for the maligned intention, objectionable messages could be differentiated and avoided if the children are exposed to media literacy.

·         Create media responsibly. Recognizing your own point of view, saying what you want to say how you want to say it and understanding that your messages have an impact is the key to effective communication. Thousands of the youth are using YouTube for sending their videos related to music, lessons and propagating good work. This is the best example of responsibility.

·         Identify the role of media in our culture. From celebrity gossip to magazine covers to memes, media is telling us something, shaping our understanding of the world, and even compelling us to act or think in certain ways. The impact of media on our culture can’t be denied, children are using it for sending cultural videos and about the unknown and neglected monuments so helping in focusing the attention of people to maintain cultural heritage.

·         Understand the author's goal. What does the author want you to take away from a piece of media? Is it purely informative, is it trying to change your mind, or is it introducing you to new ideas you've never heard of? When children understand what type of influence something has, they can make informed choices. It is very important that our children should understand the aim of writing the message or creating the content.

Media Literacy: Five Core Concepts

• 1. All media messages are constructed.

Media texts are built just as surely as buildings and highways are built. The key behind this concept is figuring out who constructed the message, out of what materials and to what effect.

• 2. Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.

Each form of communication has its own creative language: scary music heightens fear, camera close-ups convey intimacy, and big headlines signal significance. Understanding the grammar, syntax, and metaphor of media language helps us to be less susceptible to manipulation.

• 3. Different people experience the same media message differently.

Audiences play a role in interpreting media messages because each audience member brings to the message a unique set of life experiences. Differences in age, gender, education, and cultural upbringing will generate unique interpretations.

• 4. Media have embedded values and points of view.

Because they are constructed, media messages carry a subtext of who and what is important — at least to the person or people creating the message. The choice of a character’s age, gender or race, the selection of a setting, and the actions within the plot are just some of the ways that values become “embedded” in a television show, a movie or an advertisement.

• 5. Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power.

Much of the world’s media were developed as money-making enterprises. Newspapers and magazines layout their pages with ads first; the space remaining is devoted to news. Likewise, commercials are part and parcel of most television watching. Now, the Internet has become an international platform through which groups or individuals can attempt to persuade.

• By considering the core concepts behind every media message, you equip yourself with an ability to analyze and interpret a message — and to accept or reject its legitimacy.

Tips for Integrating Media Literacy in the Classroom

Although media literacy is now a part of the official curricula of every province and territory, it’s all too often left out or given cursory treatment in classrooms. This is the result of a variety of factors, such as limited access to equipment, teachers’ lack of confidence with the material, and especially the perception of media education as a “frill” in an age of standardized testing and comprehensive curricula. Media education can be made meaningful and integrated part of the classroom practice by:

·        Exploiting “teachable moments”

When students have free time, take an opportunity to listen to what they’re talking about. Most likely, it’s related to the media they watch, play and listen to! Breaking news stories, blockbuster movies, and celebrity meltdowns are all great opportunities for media analysis. Watching lesson related videos can be the best step in this direction.

·        Giving students a chance to create media, not just analyze it

Although there’s more to media education than just creating media, this is a key part of it: there’s no substitute for hands-on experience to help children understand how things like editing and music can influence the way a movie or TV show affects us emotionally. Camera phones, storyboards, and even magazine collages are all affordable and easy options for bringing media production into the classroom. Children can make short films on the burning issues, topics and other evils of society. 

·        Starting and ending with the key concepts

Media education and the media world can feel overwhelming when you start to analyze it. By always coming back to the key concepts of media literacy you can keep from getting sidetracked as you analyze media products or cultural artifacts. It is very essential that our children should learn how to start & end with the key concept.

·        Recognizing that children – and adults – enjoy media

It’s important not to take a negative approach to media education. Teach children that critiquing is not necessarily the same thing as criticizing and that we can identify and talk about problematic issues in the media we love without losing our enjoyment of them. Don’t forget to look at positive examples when discussing things like gender, stereotyping and so on. While appreciating the media, we should also remember that negative comments can be shared with the concerned channels directly instead of sharing with people.

·        Teaching about media, not just with media

It’s not enough to use media in the classroom unless students are learning about media as well. Any time media is being used in the classroom; there should be a look for a media education opportunity: for instance, if a movie version of a play or book is being shown, the students shall analyze the differences between the two using the key concepts. How are the commercial considerations of a movie different from those of a book or a play? What technical differences change how the story is told? How are the expectations of a movie audience different from those of a play or a book? How are the film-makers’ values and assumptions similar to, or different from, the original author’s? How do all of these differences affect the explicit or implicit meaning?

·        Make media education about asking questions, not learning answers

Even though one may feel strongly about an issue or a media product, the students should be given room to come to their own conclusions. This is especially important when dealing is with issues such as stereotyping or body image, where the students are already having strong opinions: need to model the practice of keeping an open mind and using critical analysis, not only the emotions, that lead to a conclusion. Although difficult, as our children are habitual of learning answers but interesting to inculcate a habit of questioning among them.

·        Fighting the perception that “It doesn’t matter”

Students often try to avoid talking about the implications of media products by saying “it’s only a TV show” – or a video game, or a music video, or so on. Remind students that media can have meaning even if the creators didn’t plan it and that we rely as much on the media as on anything else to tell us about the world. For instance, research has shown persuasively that media consumption can affect how we see others and how we see ourselves, even if we don’t realize it – a condition is known as implicit or unconscious bias – and the presence or absence of different groups in media has been shown to affect how people feel about those groups.

·        Assessing and evaluating media literacy work

“Will this be on the test?” By doing formal assessment and evaluation of the media literacy work students do, communicate to them that it is valuable and important. Make sure that the evaluations are as well-thought-out and objective as they are for all the other assignments, and keep them consistent: when in doubt, return to the key concepts to gauge the students’ knowledge, understanding, insight, and skill.

·        Let the students bring their own media to the table

To get students more engaged, look for opportunities for them to do media literacy work with their choice of media products. Dealing with concerns about content issues by making the expectations clear and a part of the evaluation scheme (ethical and responsible use of media is a key part of media literacy) and by having students only present excerpts of media products in the group or whole-class settings.

·        Keep up-to-date with media trends and developments

One doesn’t have to be a media expert to teach media literacy, but it helps to be current about what children are watching, playing, reading, wearing and listening to, not to mention what they’re doing online. This is a great opportunity to let children be the experts and teach everyone about the latest thing!

      Media literacy as a platform for social inclusion

In the new digital environment, a participatory culture developed in the democratic society which facilitates the development of citizen participation in pluralistic societies. Media literacy was identified as an empowerment tool that facilitates the active participation of citizens in the political process. Media literacy move beyond formal setting such as TV programming, websites and several programs associated with curricula, workshop and training programs for social inclusion.

Media literacy program for Educators

Monica Bulger and P.Davidson made five recommendations for a media literacy program for educators;

1. Developing a coherent understanding of the media environment- with new technology and rhetorical techniques, existing programs should be updated

2. Improve cross-disciplinary collaboration-Media literacy is often seen as a narrow, pedagogical field but work from other disciplines-social psychology, political science, sociology is producing new research and findings that could greatly benefit media literacy.

3. Leverage the current media crisis to consolidate stake holders-The new intention on “fake news” and “paid news” could allow for new cross-disciplinary collaboration and therefore greater coherence within the field.

4. Prioritize the creation of national media literacy base-A centralized and stable base of evaluation data would make a more accurate assessment possible. Though there are many potential political challenges to such a base.

5. Develop curricula for addressing action in addition to interpretation-with the increased use of social media, literacy efforts need to be able to address user behavior in addition to interpretation.

In western countries, research was conducted on the subject and found that media literacy education influenced the decision-making process of children in Tobacco use. Several Internet games like Big challenge & Momo where advisory was issued by Govt. of India could be prevented because of education and counseling. Media literacy instruction improved students reading, writing, viewing, listening, and comprehension of print, audio and video texts, message analysis, interpretation and writing skills. The media literacy lessons can be designed and integrated into the curriculum by language teachers. So it is need of the hour to make space for media literacy. Media literacy is a double edge sword so we have to use it judiciously and it is one of the important 21^st. century skills that our children must learn.

 Bill Walsh said,” Media literacy is a 21^st. century approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate with messages in a variety of forms- from print to video to the internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.”