A dictionary definition of literacy describes a) proficiency in processing and interpreting information and b) the ability to communicate an effective response. Media literacy, then, is thinking critically about the messages we receive from the media and responding in a language appropriate to modern technology.
Toward this end, various advocay groups provide media literacy curriculum to schools and other educational programs. The Media Education Foundation produces videos exploring a wide range of issues, such as media images of gender, violence in the media, and the ecological effects of advertising. The Center for Media Literacy and the Just Think Foundation publish textbooks and other teaching materials for K-12 classrooms.
Proponents of media literacy urge everyone to examine the production, marketing, and influence of all kinds of media. Television programs and commercials, music and music videos, movies, popular magazines, print and broadcast news, books, even greeting cards and billboards convey important messages about our world. We can respond to these messages by thinking critically, challenging stereotypes and other media assumptions, writing letters, and creating our own media messages. Sites such as the Media Literacy On-Line Project provide resources to formulate these responses, including the Hands-On Media Education Listserve focusing on student-produced media. Concerned citizens from around the world can attend the 1999 National Media Education Conference, June 27-30 in St. Paul, Minnesota. And in the coming months, check here for articles on a variety of media literacy issues.
Media theorist Marshall McLuhan wrote: "We now share too much about each other to be strangers to each other. For example, in the age of the information explosion, all the walls go out between age-groups, between family groups, national groups, between economies. The walls all go out. People suddenly have to adjust themselves to this new proximity, this new interrelationship, and merely to tell them that this has happened isn't very helpful. What they need to know is, if it is happening, what does it mean to me?"
What does media mean to you? Your descriptions of media literacy project descriptions, resource recommendations, and comments on current media issues are always welcome. Please send e-mail or start a discussion from the Media Literacy topic page.
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