1. Open dialogue about media literacy and factual information can create conflict, why does this happen?
To begin, media has become a powerful influence in the 21st century and thus, in order to be critical media consumers, one must develop skills to practice media literacy. Media literacy provides a framework that allows individuals to access, analyze, and then evaluate the information provided to them (Trilling and Fadel, 2012). It is important because developing those essential skills to dissect information presented by media, will allow for a better understanding of the role media has taken in society. Additionally, by teaching people about media literacy, individuals are able to raise the right questions about what one is watching or reading. Thus, they are able to control the interpretation of the media being produced instead of believing “fake news” being spread in media. However, to address the question, open dialogue about media literacy and factual information can create conflict when looking at media from a business perspective. Julie Smith’s video allowed me to better understand the business side of media. She mentioned that media gives viewers what they want to see, not what they need. For example, she explained that if 90% of the audience liked dogs and hated cats then the media platform would only promote positive messages surrounding dogs and negative comments about cats. This is because bias media makes money. The media industry thrives on “fake news” to make its profit. Thus, talking openly about media promoting bias information would cause less people to watch it, and therefore, the industry would lose its consumers, and ultimately, its profit.
2. What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?
Before answering this question I wanted to address some important aspects of the article “Digital Literacy Skills-Info-Savvy, Media-Fluent, Tech-Tuned”, especially those that looked at the power of teaching students the importance of media literacy. One of the quotations that stood out to me the most was “our next generation students will have unprecedented power to amplify their ability to think, learn, communicate, collaborate, and create”(Trilling and Fadel, 2012). I think its important to acknowledge that young children will soon be in powerful representative positions in society and therefore, they must be taught about media literacy, especially, in their own PLN. Practicing media literacy will teach individuals the value of verifying information, as well as recognizing and respecting other peoples points of view. For example, making sure information you are finding is accurate and then citing other peoples work is extremely beneficial as it recognizes their ideas as theres, and acts as a supports to your own opinions. Additionally, using media literacy in your PLN encourages critical thinking. For example, you are analyzing the accuracy of work, which allows allows you to identify what is fact and what is a marketing ploy. Ultimately, media literacy builds a greater understanding of the implications and benefits that develop out of the fluidity in media.
Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2012). 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
I feel same way with you. I think everyone needs to be able to judge right from wrong. The media always show people what they want to see, not necessarily the truth. This is also the cause of many Internet conflicts.Therefore, when we want to get information from the Internet, we should learn how to distinguish false information from true information.
Hello Mikayla,
I think your blog post is very clear, well-organized, and useful for me. I definitely agree that in the 21st century, media tends to be more and more popular in our daily lives and can bring significant and great influence to our lives as well. Therefore, learning more about how media works specifically and how to use the most appropriate media creation tools will be much more useful and important for us as well. I really liked how you explained the reasons why media literacy and factual information will create conflict by using the example from the conversation. I think it will help us better understand your ideas. I agree that “the media industry thrives on ‘fake news’ to make its profile” because people like to read or watch it. As Julie mentioned in the conversation, “if objective news can make money, we will have it as well”. Therefore, personally, I do not think this kind of conflict can be avoided because most people still prefer to watch or read what they want to watch or read, not what they need.