Being Media Literate
Do you know what it means?
What is Media Literacy?
I know what you’re thinking, what in the world is Media Literacy? Well let’s break it down, literate means the ability to read and write a certain language right? So what does mean to be media literate? Well it is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media, to me it is being up to date and an essential skill that is needed now that technology is advancing more than ever and media can spread faster. In other words it’s the ability to receive complex messages from TV shows, internet, radio, and etc. Today in date we live in a world of powerful 24/7 media. Children ages 8 to 18 now spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes per day with entertainment media outside of school, according to recent research. Don’t get me wrong though, media if used the right way, can inform and entertain many. For example many media messages contribute to public health issues such as depression, drug abuse, obesity, bullying, and etc.
On the other hand we have Media Literacy can teach you many things also. It will develop critical thinking skills, gives an understanding of how media shapes our society and culture, identify target marketing strategies, recognize what the media maker wants us to believe or do, and many more skills and strategies can be received from Media Literacy. So after all the information I have given you today, you should have a complete understanding of Media literacy and how to use it for the greater good. (255 words)