Motivators of Critical Media Literacy
The emergence of myriads of media texts has exacerbated the complexity, enormity and intensity of digital topology. Given that it is neither realistic nor practical to regulate the overwhelming avalanche of content it becomes imperative to promote critical citizenship.
Content regulation has failed to stamp out the incursion of propaganda in digital, data, platform, telecommunication and technical convergence because digital disinformation and digital misinformation are universal. The impracticality of content regulation, ambivalence, reluctance, a lack of will and technological constraints in purging negative content point to a combination of skills; cognitive, CT and judicious disposition is indispensable. ‘Self-regulation is flawed whereas statutory regulation or even co-regulation of ‘the press’ is unrealistic in the age when it is no longer clear what journalism is. (Butterworth, S., 20.07.2011. The Guardian).
Alternative measures have been ruled out as they collide with the principles of freedom of expression. Likewise technological and algorithmic endeavours to impose restrictive rules have also failed. Advocates of freedom of expression maintain that content regulation has implications for free speech which should be avoided at all costs. (Buzzfeed News, 29.01.2017). In an era of false ‘news’, students must act like journalists. (Sheila Mulrooney Eldred, 22.09. 2017). Given that SM and news organisations have struggled to tackle false ‘news’ regulation seems necessary? But is it desirable?
The encounter of the menace of pernicious concomitant of the post-truth age. It is the least controversial solution in tackling a variety of problems of the age compared with attempting to regulate the internet. (Livingstone). Besides, the above intended contamination of news by design the Alliance of Media Literacy (AML) has identified eight types of inherently tendentious media content which has implications for society’s understanding of real meaning and intention of messages underlying current affairs: (1) all media are constructions – involved in representation of reality, (2) media construct reality. (3) audiences negotiate meaning in media, (4) media have commercial implications, (5) media contain ideological and value messages, (6) media have social and political implications, (7) form and content are closely related in the media and (8) each medium has a unique aesthetic form. (Tessa Jolls & C. Wilson, 2014)
The ineluctable digitalisation requires citizens to imbibe CT skills as an inoculation against media effects. The flood of unverified and unchecked content is masquerading as journalism has made it necessary for news consumers to be inducted into a regime of media literacy. Media literacy will enable news consumers to question, evaluate, decode, understand and produce messages across multimedia platforms. [NEXT – India’s Strategy For Tackling Disinformation]