M EDIA LITERACY

W HAT IS IT ? The ability to CRITICALLY consume and create media Definite essential in today’s world Literate citizens are better able to decipher the complex messages they receive from television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, billboards and signs, packaging and marketing materials, video games, and the Internet These skills can help you understand not only the surface content of the message, but the deeper and often MORE IMPORTANT meanings beneath the surface (remember, there’s an entire industry dedicated into studying peoples responses to tone, color, images, etc.) ANALYZE, ACCESS, EVALUATE!!!

BIG QUESTIONS Who created the message and WHY? What techniques are used to attract your attention? What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented How might different people understand this message differently? What is OMITTED from this message? WHO’S PAYING FOR IT??????

I T ’ S ALL A GAME People and institutions with money, privilege and power can more easily create media messages and distribute them to large numbers of people. The rest of us peons are often shut out of the media system, either misrepresented or completely ignored. In the United States, the marketplace largely determines what we see on television, what we hear on the radio, what we read in newspaper or magazines—as citizens we need to be aware of the self-interest of the corporate media makers Are they concerned about your health? Do they care if you’re smart or well-informed? Are they interested if you are active participants in society or do they want passive monkeys to just buy their goods without thinking?

L ET ’ S GET THROUGH IT TOGETHER... Our society and culture (heck, to get deep, even our perception of reality) is shaped by the information and images we receive from the media Used to get our knowledge and values from people we knew (going way back anthropologically speaking)— now it comes from television, the Internet, movies, advertising and music We don’t like to admit we’re being controlled.. but we are Ads, news, television, and other forms of media shape our thoughts and actions— that’s why it’s such a big business Media constructs our culture Media messages affect our thoughts and actions

S AY WHAT ??????? Media effects are complex because they not only influence us, but our families, friends, communities and society. Some effects are direct, some indirect and to understand the media’s TRUE INFLUENCE, we need to consider both sources

T RICKY TRICKY.....( MEDIA EFFECTS ARE SUBTLE AND SNEAKY !) Not many of us believe everything we see and hear in the media—no one rushes out to the store immediately after seeing an ad (unless it’s a new I-phone ); playing a video game won’t automatically turn you into a murderer The effects are more subtle but because we are so bombarded by media ALL THE TIME, the effects are significant

P SSSTTTTT.... COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER Media using “the language of persuasion”, trying to get us to believe or do something. News, documentary films and nonfiction books all claim to be telling the “truth”. Advertising tries to get us to buy products; novels and television dramas go to great lengths to appear realistic. To do this, they use specific techniques Flattery Repetition Fear Humor

I N A DREAM Media constructs fantasy world, which while they can be entertaining, it can also be harmful by inspiring people to do things that are stupid, anti-social or even dangerous In a positive effect, it can inspire our imaginations Advertising manipulates this by creating a world where a problem can be solved with a simple purchase Media literacy helps you recognize fantasy and constructively integrate it with reality.

H ALF TRUTHS ( AND LIES ) Every media maker has a point of view. Every good story highlights some information and leaves our the rest. Often, the effect of a media message comes not only from what is said...but what is not said The text is the actual words (pictures or sound) in a media message. The subtext is the meaning of the message. Example: The text of an ad for McDonald’s may include a picture of a happy family, an ad slogan, and the McDonald’s logo—the subtext may be: I’ll be happy if I eat at McDonald’s. No one tells the WHOLE story Media messages contain “texts” and “subtexts”

I DEOLOGICAL AND VALUE MESSAGES Ideology and values are usually conveyed in the subtext Examples News reports Besides covering an issue or event, often reinforce assumptions about power and authority Advertisements Besides setting particular products, almost always promote the values of a consumer society Subtexts with a punch!

I NDIVIDUAL CONSTRUCT THEIR OWN MEANINGS FROM MEDIA Although media makers attempt to convey specific messages, people receive and interpret them differently, based on their OWN prior knowledge and experience, their values and their beliefs This means people can create different subtexts from the same piece of media!!!!

T HE BRAIN IS A COMPLEX THING ! The brain processes images different than words Images are processed in the “reptilian” part of the brain, where strong emotions and instincts are found Written/spoken language is processed in the cerebral cortex (the reason part) We process time-based media differently than static media The images and information in TV shows, movies, video games and music often bypasses the analytic brain and triggers emotions and memory in the unconscious and reactive parts of the brain When we read a newspaper, magazine, book or text on a website, we have the opportunity to stop and THINK—re-reading, something and integrate the information rationally

MEDIA IS MOST POWERFUL WHEN IT OPERATES ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL (AND MESSAGES ARE MANIPULATED IN INCREASE AN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE/IMPACT!) Advertisements try to transfer feelings from an emotionally- charged symbol to engage our hearts and minds to a product Movies and TV use a variety of techniques (ex. Camera angles, framing, reaction shots, quick cuts, special effects, lighting tricks, music, sound) to reinforce the messages in the script Dramatic graphic design can do the same for magazine ads or websites Media outlets definitely want passive, impulsive consumers and definitely target youth—it’s your job to be informed and critical!!

M EDIA MESSAGES REFLECT THE VALUES AND VIEWPOINTS OF MEDIA MAKERS Everyone has a point of view. Our values and viewpoints influence our choice of words, sounds and images we use to communicate through media. This is true for ALL media makers, from a preschooler’s crayon drawing to a media conglomerate’s TV news broadcast.

R EALITY CHECK None of this information is meant to scare or depress you—but to EMPOWER you! Go out, analyze, ask questions to construct your OWN view of this world—don’t allow yourself to just be spoon-fed information without critically thinking about it and deciding what YOU THINK!