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Note: These Key Concepts of Media Literacy are neither finite nor immutable. In fact, a current AML initiative is the re-examination and potential revision of these statements to support teachers in evolving media environments.
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Organizations. MediaSmarts: Canadian not-for-profit...
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Underpinned by the Key Concepts, the course includes an introduction to media literacy, examples of media education curriculum from across Canada, and modules based on a number of key themes, including Ideology and Representation, Media Language, and New(er) Technologies.
- All media are constructions. The media do not present simple reflections of what is around us. Rather, the media present carefully crafted productions that are the result of many decisions and determining factors.
- The media construct reality. What the media are constructing is a certain representation of reality. We all have our own view of reality. We've been building it since the day we were born.
- Audiences negotiate meaning in media. Basic to an understanding of media is an awareness of how we interact with media texts (TV shows, movies, radio programs, newspapers, the Internet ).
- Media messages have commercial implications. Most media production is a business, and must make a profit. The economic basis of television has a very real effect on content, technique and distribution.
- Information Society
- Key Concepts in Media Literacy
- Media Are Constructions
- Audiences Negotiate Meaning
- Commercial Implications of Media
- Social and Political Implications of Media
- The Nature of Media Helps Determine Content
- Media Convergence and Vertical Integration
- Government Oversight
- Critical Thinking and The “Crap Test”
The rapid development and proliferation of information and communications technologies (ICT) at the turn of the 21st century heralded the development of a new kind of society. In this information society, the production and exchange of information is a key feature in both social life and the economy. While the first half of the 20th century saw the...
According to the media literacy organization MediaSmarts, there are five key concepts in understanding media literacy: 1) media are constructions; 2) audiences negotiate meaning; 3) all media have commercial implications; 4) all media have social and political implications; and 5) the content of media depends in part on the nature of the medium.
To be media literate is to understand that every piece of media is a construction. Every television show, online video and article shared on social media was thought of, created and distributed by many people. Think of a building: when it is under construction, the workers, scaffolding, tools and equipment used to create it are all visible. Once th...
People have unconscious and conscious biases that feed into their decision-making process. When looking at a claim about a controversial issue, consider what or who the claim includes, what or who it leaves out, and what assumptions the creators might have made. Media literacy involves actively deconstructing the media one consumes. Ask yourself: W...
Media is tightly connected to companies and people trying to make money. When commercials come on during a television show, or when ads play before online videos, we will be aware that the ads are trying to sell things. But what about the platform and distribution itself? Social sites like Snapchat, YouTube and Facebook are all run by companies tha...
When it comes to big decisions, such as who you will vote for in an election, you might never see the candidates in person. That means everything you know about them is “mediated” through television, radio, the Internet, etc. Ask yourself who is presented in a way that makes them look good? Who is shown to look bad? Why did the people who made what...
Marshall McLuhanoften talked about the differences between “hot” and “cool” media. Hot media includes radio or print, where the consumer has a low level of sensory involvement. Cool media includes television and telephones, which involve the consumer’s senses more directly. McLuhan, who died in 1980, famously said the “medium is the message.” He me...
Thinking about media ownership is increasingly important as more of our communications are filtered through media. Even a government-owned media company like the CBCstill relies heavily on private media companies like Google and Instagram to deliver its content to people. Private media companies can buy other companies offering similar services (se...
It is important to understand the role that government plays in regulating media and media ownership. In Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is an administrative tribunal that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunication systems in Canada. Its mandate is to ensure broadcasting and telecommun...
To think critically means to analyze information in an objective way in order to make a good judgment about it. The Critical Thinking Consortium says, “thinking critically is a way of carrying out these thinking tasks, just as being careful is a way of walking down the stairs.” Critical thinking also means setting out clear criteria for a decision....
Sep 18, 2024 · Media literacy is the ability to apply critical thinking skills to the messages, signs, and symbols transmitted through mass media. It empowers us to make better choices about what we choose to read, watch, and listen to, and helps us become smarter, more discerning members of society.
Sep 10, 2024 · media literacy, use of critical thinking to parse or create mass media, especially as a consumer in an age of online misinformation and disinformation. The term media literacy is drawn from an analogy with reading literacy: just as the latter refers to an ability to read, write, and understand words and phrases, the former refers to an ability ...
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Are the key concepts of media literacy finite or immutable?
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What is the media literacy triangle?
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The Media Literacy Triangle is a graphic framework that was presented to the AML by Eddie Dick of the Scottish Media Council. It is based on the Key Concepts but can be used by teachers and students directly in classrooms to facilitate and organize discussions and analyses.
