What is Media Literacy?

     Media literacy defines one’s capacity to understand, interpret, and use the information received by the media through the different methods of communication. In fact, media literacy enables one’s interpretation of media texts to awaken their attention on the various aspects of the daily life that the media affects, such as the social and political aspects (Hoechsmann, M., and Poyntz, S.R., 2012). From the television to an advertisement, a radio talk show, and even a video game: media comes in many forms, and is all around us. It is a representation of messages transferred that takes into account a production, a language, a sender, a targeted audience and information in any form it may be presented (Hoechsmann, M., and Poyntz, S.R., 2012). Our ways of communication have become more evolved on a technological level, and the media has quickly become much more accessible. In the new age of technological advancements, media literacy has become more based on interaction, where there is a give and take instead of exclusively limiting the receivers of media to absorbing the information (Hoechsmann, M., and Poyntz, S.R., 2012). We, as consumers of the media, are digesting different media forms at the same time between the Internet that is directly accessible on our screens, and other forms of worldwide communications. The youth is also immersed in forms of media communication forms surrounding them from video games to the internet, resulting in adults’ efforts to filter their media literacy. Media education is increasingly becoming a crucial element of our lives, as it helps gain awareness of how the media shapes and influences elements of our lives. Media literacy is also relative to the predicaments that face the people of a specific region, which is why using a facet of media literacy that is not applicable to a region will not be successful because the receivers of this media won’t be able to connect with it (Melki, J., 2017).  Therefore, media literacy is highly subjective to the different histories, nationalities and races present across the world, since it is normal that the consumers interpret the information retained based on their personal background.

References:

Hoechsmann, M., and Poyntz, S.R. (2012) What is Media Literacy? In Media literacies: a critical introduction  (pp. 1-16). UK. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.9781405186117

 Melki, J. (2017). Guest editorial: Towards a media literacy of the oppressed. Media Education Research Journal , 8(1), 5-14. http://merj.info/wpcontent/uploads/2018/02/MERJ_8.1_Editorial.pdf

National Association of Media Literacy Education (2017): Media Literacy Defined https://namle.net/publications/media-literacy-definitions/