Media literacy: Going beyond what meets the eye

It raises different pertinent question: How could 1 guarantee an equitable entree to close and ethically produced texts, messages, videos, visuals and different forms of contented successful a integer satellite shaped by technological platforms?

One has to realise that contempt the transformative imaginable of innovations successful ICT, they hardly beforehand the elemental quality hunt for truth. Contrarily, accusation is progressively weaponised to breed mistrust, part and intolerance, and its unhindered proliferation jeopardises the larger extremity of the well-being of an unfastened and plural society. 

In today’s media-saturated culture, information has go the archetypal casualty. It sets the seal connected what Jonathan Swift, the outstanding Anglo-Irish satirist, asserted centuries ago, “Falsehood flies, and the information comes limping aft it”. In the integer age, lies diffuse quicker and penetrate deeper, often accepted unwittingly by people. The dispersed of convulsive misinformation, amplified by accusation exertion and wrapped successful plausible modes of expression, often fosters radicalisation that makes diversity, bid and sustainable improvement avertible.

Develop a mode with media literacy

It is clip to intermission and recognize our accusation needs, integer rights, and the algorithms shaping however accusation is presented and disseminated, and yet research however to navigate the turbulent oversea of information. In an epoch wherever information often takes a backseat, factual facts get smothered by affectional responses, chiefly fuelled by societal media. The wide-eyed but arsenic anxious accusation seekers ought to recognize who creates the message, what purposes it serves, and what originative techniques are utilized to marque lies indistinguishable from the truth. 

The increasing acquaintance with the dynamics of the ever-growing media and accusation exertion web has assumed greater value now. Developing a chiseled quality to analyse however political, religious, commercial, and taste allegiances impact quality sensitivity is essential. This urgently needed accomplishment tin lone beryllium acquired if 1 understands and develops a mode with media literacy – a wide utilized but slightest understood term. Media literacy equips individuals to critically measure what is presented by the media arsenic objective truth. It empowers america to find meaning betwixt the lines, not connected them. 

Media literacy emphasises cultivating captious thinking, enabling individuals to defy being swayed by rhetorical flourishes oregon polemics (biased arguments). It exposes however some people media and integer platforms person the imaginable for manipulative persuasion and are often utilized to further vested interests. To marque america delicate to religious, social, taste and radical prejudices, media literacy harps connected captious reasoning truthful that 1 tin realise that each beliefs and ideologies – whether rooted successful religion, nationalism oregon different content systems – often transportation inherent biases.  

Four dimensions of media literacy 

Media messages person a profound power connected society, and renowned media student W. James Potter aptly asserted that each media messages see 4 dimensions:

1. Cognitive: What benignant of accusation is being transmitted?

2. Emotional: The underlying feelings that are being conjured.

3. Aesthetic: The creator quality and creativity of the plan of the message.

4. Moral: The values being conveyed done the message.

These dimensions item that the intent of the connection goes good beyond what meets the eye. For instance, the merchantability of adulterated sweets and savoury snack nutrient was made the taxable of speech shows connected respective channels during the caller festive season. However, fewer tin comprehend the subtle nuances of discussions disguised successful the idiom of nationalist good. 

At archetypal sight, these discussions look to amusement concerns for nationalist health, informing viewers of the harmful effects of consuming adulterated sweets and snacks made with unhealthy ingredients. However, during commercialized breaks, a starring histrion endorses a fashionable cocoa product, and a salient histrion promotes a well-known snack brand. 

It implies that radical should displacement from accepted festive treats similar laddoos, burfi, and samosa to products manufactured by multinationals. Media literacy is of captious value present arsenic it empowers viewers to look beyond the aboveground and recognize however wellness discussions astatine times tin beryllium leveraged arsenic selling tools. By knowing these nuances, viewers tin marque informed choices and defy being swayed by personage endorsements.  

Reshaping acquisition with media literacy 

The biggest threats to our corporate well-being – misinformation, hatred speech, conspiracy theories and othering of the marginalised sections – tin lone beryllium countered done media literacy. Disinformation cannot beryllium taken arsenic fake quality arsenic UNESCO has pointed retired the inherent contradiction of the word – if the contented is fake, it cannot beryllium news. News indispensable beryllium factual, not fictional. 

Media literacy initiatives assistance america recognise however media framework issues, emphasising the value of sourcing, authenticity, credibility and biases successful mediated messages. By fostering captious thinking, online and integer rights and societal and affectional sensitivity, media literacy helps make an inclusive, participatory and unfastened nine that empowers people. 

The imagination of planetary integer citizenship of a satellite not marred by the toxic ethnicity, religiosity, nationalism, and algorithm-driven ‘truths’ dished retired by the omnipotent media tin lone beryllium fulfilled by media literacy. Media literacy enables 1 to uncover the obscured truths, question racial, spiritual and taste stereotypes and foster connectedness crossed divers communities. 

Despite its significance, media literacy is unluckily not included successful the halfway program crossed disciplines. One indispensable hold with Internet Matters, UK (2024), which states, “Like reading, writing, and numerical skills, media literacy should signifier a halfway ground of education.”

Post Read Questions

What relation does media literacy play successful fostering captious thinking?

Can media literacy code issues similar misinformation and disinformation effectively? How?

What are the broader implications of the unchecked proliferation of accusation for the well-being of unfastened and plural societies?

Can the transformative powerfulness of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) beryllium harnessed to antagonistic the weaponisation of information, and if so, how?

“Like reading, writing, and numerical skills, media literacy should signifier a halfway ground of education.” Evaluate. 

(Shafey Kidwai, a bilingual author, is simply a prof of Mass Communication astatine Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh)

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