What is Media Literacy?

Prior to the 21^st century, being media literate was accomplished through the ability to understand information obtained from broadcasters and publishers via newspapers or newscasts… This process of one-way information flow or the Media Literacy 1.0 approach is no longer applicable or plausible as participation and engagement in media outlets became relatively simple and the core of media literacy 2.0. Therefore, since the new millennium began, users became both producers and consumers of media content as the ability to interact, and communicate with the digital society became easily available to them via Web 2.0 platforms as Facebook, YouTube, Wiki spaces… Moreover, Hoechsmann, and Poyntz, S.R. (2012) believe that media education plays an essential role in the process of becoming media literate. They argue that there should be an approach that unites analyzing and producing media with the emerging creative, collaborative and participatory technologies. Media literacy must also have a ‘moral agenda’ that enables youth to become active citizens and contributors to the public life through engaging and criticizing its content. Interestingly, the most dominant media literacy curricula in the world is that of Western democracies that consist of a relatively stable economy and political culture. In view of the latter, Melki (2017) argues that in the Arab region where terrorism, economic depression and ongoing conflicts mostly occur; media literacy should take different contexts. He relies on Paulo Freire’s approach to education as the solution for the aforementioned dilemma; this means establishing a new curriculum that matches the local situation of each region and then develop it into a media literacy program tailored for the needs and levels of local citizens.

References:

Melki, J. (2017). Towards a media literacy of the oppressed.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://beautifultrouble.org/theory/pedagogy-of-the-oppressed

Hoechsmann, M., & Poyntz, s.r. (n.d.). What is Media Literacy? Retrieved 2012, from

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