Mass Communication and Media Literacy Chapter 13 Mass Communication and Media Literacy

Mass Media Channels of mass communication – the means of transmitting messages to broad audiences books, film, television, radio, newspapers, magazines

Social Media Means of connecting and interacting actively cell phones, email, PDAs, iPODs, MP3s, the Web, etc.

Media in Our Lives The Media Continuum

Uses and Gratification Theory We choose to attend to mass communication to gratify ourselves People are active agents who make deliberate choices

Agenda Setting Selecting and calling to the public’s attention ideas, events, and people Media divert attention from some topics Gatekeeper a person or group that decides which messages pass through the gates of media to reach consumers

Cultivation Theory Television promotes a worldview that is inaccurate but that viewers nonetheless assume reflects real life

Cultivation Theory (cont’d) a cumulative process by which television fosters beliefs about social reality Mainstreaming Resonance

Ideological Control Media function as tools to represent the dominant ideology in a culture as normal and right

Understanding Social Media Blur production and consumption Alter conceptions of space Invite supersaturation Encourage multitasking Promote visual thinking

Media Literacy Understand the influence of media Access to media Democratic Access digital divide Expose yourself to a range of media sources Analyze media

Media Literacy (cont’d) Critically evaluate media messages puffery Respond actively Use mass communication consciously Participate in decision making about media

Websites Citizens for Media Literacy Media Literacy Online Project University of Oregon – Eugene FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting Society of Professional Journalists

More Websites Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children American Academy of Pediatrics Joint statement, Congressional Public Health Summit, July 26, 2000 American Society of Newspaper Editors