Media literacy is the ability to read, analyze and evaluate the message given. All messages are constructed to benefit the company who put them together. All messages are also representative of a social reality that is not necessarily the truth. For example, our teenagers today are portrayed as criminal, sarcastic, unwilling and unable to learn and other negative traits that are not always the reality. There are many more honest, intelligent, caring youth than prime time television would have you believe. Without the ability to see the difference between reality and what one sees on television ads, consumers cannot distinguish between "wanting" and "needing" something.
Just how powerful is this impact of broadcast media? If the financial figures are any indication, extremely powerful. For a 30 second commercial slot on NBC's powerhouse ER, it would cost you $560,000, for Friends- $410,000 . Don't think for a minute that if these commercials were not financially beneficial for the companies that they would even consider using them. Why are these 30 seconds of time so expensive? Because they work! More than 25 million households each week turn to the top 10 shows on network television. They have our attention. It is up to us to decide what we want to believe.
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