EDCI338

WHY MEDIA LITERACY MATTERS IN YOUR PLN

November 2nd – November 8th

Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict, why does this happen?

Media is increasingly important as we shift our society into a very web-based lifestyle. COVID-19 has caused people to change how they interact with others, and in turn has changed how we receive information. There is a surplus of information, which makes it challenging to navigate, hard to determine what is legitimate, and can be stressful, as described by Julie Smith. Julie Smith has done extensive work within the field and has conducted research on media literacy. When she describes media literacy around the 5 minute mark of the assigned video, she states “[media literacy] is essentially asking questions about every message, who’s the sender, what’s their motive or intent, how is it created, who profits, what information is left out, who is the target audience etc.” (Smith, 2020). Media literacy could be described as media fluency, as Julie explains. Media literacy is important because it enables people to understand how and why media messages are constructed, identify if values and points of view are excluded, and examine how media can influence beliefs and behaviours (Trilling, 2012). 

Media literacy and factual information can create conflict because of the “familiarity backfire effect,” described by Julie (2020). This effect can be metaphorically described as having shields up, so that no information can get through. This may be due to the shift from “push” to “pull” type of news. In previous times, there were very few sources, and this information was “pushed” upon people (Smith, 2020). In our current society, there are countless sources for news, enabling us to pick and choose where we get our information. Inherently, people will choose sources that they agree with, and do not often see news they disagree with. News is a business, it operates in accordance to the demand. The information is being shared using a business mindset – they are sharing things that people WANT to see, rather than what they need to see (Smith, 2020). Factual information can create conflict because they rarely see news that they disagree with, and when they do, it is upsetting. Because of this, media literacy can oftentimes be dismissed. This makes sense because we live in a polarized society. The Conversation eloquently describes this phenomenon in their research. Their findings are that when people disagree with something, their brains become less sensitive to the strength of others opinions (2019). The reduced weight or perceived importance of others opinions causes people to feel as though they are correct in their beliefs. 

What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?

Having a PLN that values media literacy is beneficial because it leads to a community of trust. When members of the PLN value media literacy, they are sharing information that they have already analyzed, and asked the questions about. Therefore, the resources being shared are most likely trustworthy. Additionally, if a PLN values media literacy and something is shared that is not legitimate or requires more thought, other members can flag it through their own reading. Valuing media literacy enables varied views but factual consensus within your PLN. Sharing resources and media within your PLN is very valuable, as we have described throughout this course. When the value of media literacy is present within a PLN, it creates a community that is sharing legitimate information. When the information that is being shared is legitimate, there is a factual consensus amongst the community. Being able to analyze media and create media products in a media literate fashion allows members of the PLN to strive towards having a community that contains various perspectives while maintaining integrity. It adds another level to the relationship because not only is there a common interest, there is a common subject matter. By sharing things on a PLN, Julie identifies a benefit to this being that she gets wonderful feedback and ideas that she would not have received 20 years ago. It enables her to get advice and perspective on issues.

 

References

EDCI 338 (2020, Nov 1). A01 Smith, Julie [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_T9RghwJlI&feature=youtu.be

Pungente, John. “Canada’s Key Concepts of Media Literacy.” Canada’s Key Concepts of Media Literacy | Center for Media Literacy | Empowerment through Education | CML MediaLit Kit ™ |, 1999, www.medialit.org/reading-room/canadas-key-concepts-media-literacy

 The Conversation, et al. “Here’s What Happens in the Brain When We Disagree.” Neuroscience News, 28 Dec. 2019, neurosciencenews.com/neuroscience-disagree-15351/. 

Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2012). Digital Literacy Skills. In 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

2 Comments

  1. chunlin

    Hello Leah,

    Your blog post is very organized and informative! I liked how you explained the reasons why media literacy and factual information can create conflict. The idea that you shared in your post is “the shift from ‘push’ to ‘pull’ type of news”. That’s really good point, which I did not think about it before. I totally agree that with the rapid development of online technology, the sources that people can receive news or information tend to be more and more, so people prefer to receive or read news that they agree with and they want to read, not they need. In my post, as I mentioned, one of the benefits of educating media literacy is that it can help us to know how to judge fake or biased news or information in today’s world.

    Chunlin

  2. ericasteph

    Hi Leah!

    I can tell you were more interested in this week’s topic, as your blog is such an easy read and so informative! You did an amazing job. I’m glad you brought up Covid in your post because you’re absolutely right – media literacy has never been more important! With so many things being shifted to online platforms, everyone needs to educate themselves not only on how to use technology, but also the potential risks! I don’t know about you, but I know I had a bit of a challenging time switching to online school along with everything else and I grew up with technology. My dad, on the other hand, has never been a fan of technology and he had to learn very quickly how to set up Zoom meetings etc etc, so I can’t imagine how difficult it was for him and others like him! Great post this week!

    Erica

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