Additional Definitions
ML are underscored by the above defined common repertoire of competences. Media education, in this scenario, is the pedagogic equivalent of a tetanus shot. (Bazalgette, 1997). These cognitive skills mainly relate to four key facets of the mass media phenomenon: (a) media industries, (b) media messages, (c) media audiences, and (d) media effects. Youngbauer, (2013) argues that for citizens to understand media messages and the influence of those texts they must use a historical, empirical, interpretive, and critical framework. (Vincent W. Youngbauer, 2013).
ML also uses a political economy approach to analysing and understanding the power structures that shape media representations and the ways in which audiences work to make meaning through dominant, oppositional and negotiated readings of media. (Kellner, Share, Douglas, Jeff (2007). ML approach dwells on “cultivating skills in analysing media codes and conventions, abilities to criticise stereotypes, dominant values, and ideologies, and competencies to interpret the multiple meanings and messages generated by media texts” (Kellner & Share, 2005).
ML acutely falls short in dealing with the infodemic of counterfeit news and information for ‘a 21st century approach to media education. Propaganda has infested all types of media from print to video to the Internet which prompts for the role of the media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy,’ (CML; Uysal, 2015). It is pivotal in debating and understanding media literacy issues.
‘Media literacy has survived through the years largely as a grass-roots movement which, slowly but surely, has developed around the world.’ (cited in Walkosz, Jolls and Sund 2008). But the question of survival is evident in Sambook’s observation, ‘Issues of truth, trust, bias, partisanship, and verification have been raised since the first steps in public communication. In today’s environment of democratised mass digital media they are as important as ever.’ (Richard Sambrook, July 2012). A recent assurance seals the indispensability of media literacy despite the advent of digital transformation of the news media. ‘New media does not change the essence of what media literacy is, nor does it affect its ongoing importance in society.’ (T. Jolls & C. Wilson)
Media Literacy is not new as it has been a part of education for more than 40 years in most developed countries (Heins & et al.,Cho 2003). Media education was invented in the U.S. by a visionary teacher called John Culkin, (1928-1993). He initiated an explicit media education curriculum in schools which was tasked to create a media-literate population. In 1964 he wrote, ‘The attainment of ML involves more than mere warnings about the effects of the mass media and more even than constant exposure to the better offerings of these media.’
The term ‘media literacy’ is polysemous because media paradigmatic phases make it a moving target. The initial benchmark description of media literacy was given as the ability to access, analyse, evaluate, and create messages in a variety of forms by the Centre for Media Literacy and Aufderheide & Frost, (1993) was augmented in 2007 by the European Commission’s definition “the power of images, sounds and messages which we are now being confronted with on a daily basis and are an important part of our contemporary culture, as well as to communicate competently in media available on a personal basis.
With the advent of digital transformation of the economy, CM evolved as critical media literacy (CML), which relates to all media, including television and film, radio and recorded music, print media, the Internet and other new digital communication technologies.” Being a multidisciplinary perspective ML also covers other non-news related media. It applies to individuals in their triple roles as a consumer, producer and citizen. The wide ranging media examples include films, television shows, newspaper articles, websites and blogs, songs and music videos, SM, scientific journals, news magazines hoarding, bill-boards, signages etc. Media also include physician prescriptions, tickets for air travel, bus, train, and theatre, contracts, sale deeds and online signing up of terms and conditions, ecommerce stores; Amazon, Flipkart, eBay; search engines; Google, DuckDuckGo; email service; Gmail and SM platform accounts. [NEXT – The Purpose of Critical Media Literacy]