Literacy for the Current Generation: Why We Need Media Literacy

As David Considine said in the Fall 1995 issue of Telemedium, the Journal of Media Literacy;"In an age where most Americans get most of their information from television, not textbooks, pictures not print, we need a wider definition of what it means to be literate." It is true that our definition of what it means to be literate is changing and broadening, as it will continue to do in the years to come, as our technology and methods of communicating become more advanced. In the same article, David Considine defines Media Literacy as follows: "the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate a variety of information including print and non-print." This definition itself shows how valuable media literacy is for just basic day-to-day survival. Considine's definition of media literacy could just as well be describing the requirements for a job or even the goal of education today.

With 65% of parents today concerned about their child's media use, isn't it surprising that only 18% believe that they need to be doing to monitor it (according to media statistics)? Even the internet is getting on board with helping parents to show their children how to properly evaluate media messages, with websites such as PBS KIDS GO!. This website in particular shows children how to decide which advertisements to believe, and familiarizes them with advertising strategies so they will be less likely to fall for advertising gimmicks. Children ages 8-12 years old see an average of 21 food ads per day, which translates out to more than 7,600 ads per year, and that is just a count of ads that are food related!

In an age where one-fifth of toddlers have a television in their bedroom, media literacy should be promoted from a very young age. When children and adults are continually being exposed to media messages, whether it be on the way to work, school, or even while relaxing at home, they need to take special care that they do not fall into traps that the media has set out for us. Advertisements are just one example of ways that we can be misled by the media. Television shows, news programs, and even video games all send out messages just waiting to be interpreted by the viewer.

Being trained in media literacy is a skill that you can use every day, almost every minute. The filters in our brains are continually working to decide what to believe and what to ignore. Media literacy skills help us to be less vulnerable to the messages that surround us. Media messages can alter our thoughts about a variety of things, such as what social norms are, including thoughts of drinking, violence, smoking, and even depression. While these factors are not necessarily going to cause us to become more violent, or more depressed, they will alter our idea of what is "cool," thus altering our behaviour and ultimately our thought processes. Since American adults and teens spend over 5 months a year consuming media, don't you think it's about time we focus on becoming more media literate?