Media Literacy Questions

1. What are the three ways in which the word media literacy is widely interpreted?

1. Competence, you are either media literate or media illiterate.
2. Social practice, how we read and make media
3. Entitlement, to protect us from potential danger associated with new media in particular.

2. Who are the five senior examiners and what definitions of media literacy do they give?

1. Donna Cooper-Cliftlands, the ability to create, use, analyse and understand media products, within the context of their audiences and institutions.
2. Pete Fraser, A broader version of conventional literacy, which includes all visual aural and digital forms, seeking to enable people to become more thoughtful producers and interpreters of media.
3. Jason mazzochi, media literacy can be defined as the ability to read a text, in understanding the process of communication through the construction of an artefact and its sets of representations. The ability to read a media text, in its visual or audio form, is itself paramount to understanding the meaning that a text may convey, which is dependant upon the individual, psychological and sociocultural context of the reader.
4. James Baker, media literacy is the ability to understand how any media text constructs its meaning as much though its form as its content.
5. Wayne O’Brien, media literacy is being able to engage not just with the immediate content of a media text, but also to be able to apply knowledge and understanding of the institutional factors that have an impact on shaping the text itself and on the messages and values embedded within the text. Media literacy also involves knowledge and understanding of how different audiences in different times and places may interpret the text in different ways. Crucially, the media-literate reader of the text is able to see that his/her own reading of the text may well be at odds with that applied by some or all of the target audience.

3. Having read all of the senior examiners definition, which one do you understand and/or agree with the most, and why?

I understand …………..’s definition the most because of …………….. and/however I did/did not agree with the definition given because ……………..

4. Johnson’s quote appears the front of the book, “without Enigma’, this quote conveys many sophisticated thoughts, break down the quote into a simplified version.

Media is growing and evolving all of the time. This has lead to a large majority of society becoming more and more sophisticated. This means that the audiences want more media texts to cause them to think more deeply about what they are watching. This is a positive thing and its makes the audiences’ minds more stimulated, even the slightly frivolous entertainment is causing more people to read texts in a fresh, intelligent way.

5. It is said that ‘people often demonise young people and their use of text language, digital television, MySpace and video games’. Can you think of an example of this statement being true, either in a personal home environment and/or in a wider, national environment?

An example such as Grand Theft Auto and how many of gamers feel excited and engaged by the action and how either personal/national opinion is that violent games are not clever or sophisticated but are channeling bad thoughts and morals to often underage children. An integrated example such as this one with a weighted opinion from both sides is appropriate here.

6. Barham is trying to get people from both sides of media to understand each other. What is the problem illustrating and how can this help people to understand each others feelings towards different media?

Barham is saying that the people who are enjoying the media they are consuming give little thought to explaining the source of enjoyment to people who do not understand. This lack of understand provides a basis for resentment of the media and also causes these people to make assumptions and comments on the effect it has on the audiences who are fully engrossed in the media. This can help to make both sets of people understand each other because it is saying that to enjoy new media without comments of how bad it is, the makers and audiences need to explain to those who don’t enjoy why they enjoy it and how it does/does not have a profound effect on their life.

7. How does media differ from English according to the text?

Media does not illustrate what texts are good example, it tries to involve you in all types of media, good or bad examples are personal preferences. This differs from English as they have good example, ‘classics’ and poor examples, ‘mere fiction’. This means that media is less judgmental than English.

8. What is the difference between a media student’s product and a non-media student’s product?

A media student will make a product that has taken into account the intended audience, and will generally be more sophisticated because the media will be made considering factors such as postmodernism and representation. This differs from a non-media student because the product will often be made as a bit of fun or for a hobby and the ideas behind the media text are purely to entertain anyone and everyone they can. A media student has much more considerations and a rationale for every shot, editing effect and representation.

9. Literacy is traditionally seen as you are literate or you are not but how is this changing and why?

Literacy now is being redefined mostly by Wed 2.0 and this is changing the way that people read and write, it also changes what things mean. This is because the new way of consuming and producing has created a platform for anyone to become media-literate, so now no one is literate or illiterate, everyone is on a certain level.

10. How does literacy promote social justice, according to Freire?

Literacy allows us to understand concepts and the world, no being able to read and write means that you cannot understand. If you have a lack of understanding a person can be controlled or oppressed, as they are ignorant, this creates a entrapment and therefore prevents social justice. Literacy therefore can create more justice and make the world a fairer, better place, according to Freire.

11. What are Labour’s views and policies on literacy and how does this relate to Freire’s views?

Labour have made it clear that if someone collects benefits or newly immigrated should learn to read and write in order to integrate with society. This is similar to Freire’s views as he says different levels of literacy defines the classes and that thee classes make the world unjust as they prevent equal opportunities.

12. What are the key differences between Labour and Freire?

Labour feel that literacy is an obligation bringing social control, whereas Freire sees literacy is way out of social control, it is empowering.

13. Media literacy and Ofcom can be likened to the Labour and Freire duality, how so?

Media literacy is something which gives audiences power because they understand how the media is produced, and give structured, critical views. It also gives people the chance to demand change in media and not be completely drawn in by it. Ofcom is the governing body, which oversees all of the media in the UK. This creates more responsible audiences; it is a form of censorship.  Media literacy is much like Freire whereas Ofcom is more like Labour, this may well due to the responsibilities of the institutions, in particular the governmental powers in these debates over literacy and media literacy.

14. How can media-literate citizens self regulate the media they consume, and is being media-literate an advantage in doing so?

Being media-literate is a huge advantage because these groups of consumers can see what the media they consume is trying to say and convey rather than what is on the surface. In other words media that could be seen to have a negative affect on the media-illiterate will not have the some damaging effects on someone who understands and can decode what they are seeing/hearing/participating in.

15. The passage gives many examples, which helps to simplify James Gee’s idea on ‘Powerful Literacy’. Can you think of another example?

An example such as someone knowing that an aspirin will help remove there headache is simple understanding whereas the pharmacist will understand how the drug works, and may be even able to make it themselves. Any example showing a surface level of understanding and a deeper level of understanding is a good example

16. How are Digital literacy and creativity connected?

If you are able to understand Facebook, Youtube and other social networking sites then you are digitally literate but being able to create material and share it is where creativity battles to become a part of digital literacy. An example as such provided talking about a possible link as well as the difference is key to answering the question.

17. How is a Meme similar to a virus?

A meme is an idea that has been presented in a new and sometimes exciting way, this is then able to spread throughout different parts of society. This spreading is likened to a virus as each person passes on the ideas much like a cold. Many people will also add their own ideas to the meme they have received.

18. What is Dixon trying to say about Meme’s?

Dixon is saying that making media products that are often humorous to convey an idea is very similar to how jokes and cartoons were made and exchanged in the 70’s and 80’s. However Web 2.0 has allowed these new memes to spread extremely quickly and will often be evolved.

19. Ofcom has layed out many different bullet points for a frame work, which one do you agree with the most and why?

I agree with the bullet point about young people no all being media natives the most because it is explaining that although new media and technology are from modern times it does not mean that young people can understand it anymore than older generations. Therefore I feel that this point is very true as being media-literate is not about age but is about who you are in social context.

20.  Do you agree with the statement ‘making a media product without an intended audience does not make you media-literate’? Discuss your views.

I disagree with this statement as I feel in making a media product you start to understand what you create and how you put it together can change the meanings and feelings of the piece. Even media made for fun needs to be upbeat and happy, in production and editing the ways of doing this will become apparent. In conclusion I feel that making a product without an audience is less beneficial than making a product with an intended audience but both ways of media production start a chain reaction leading to becoming media-literate.

21. What I Robin Blake trying to say?

Robin Blake is saying that although we are subjected to a lot of media we cannot be expected to be media literate just because we are consuming it. His example of the fact that children do not learn to read by being left with hundreds of books.

22.  What is Sonia Livingstone highlighting?

Sonia is saying that the digital culture we are in now can be even harder to understand than the analogue culture. By analogue culture she means things such as books and art. She is saying that modern media can be less easy to read, understand and is not as easy to trust. She says that society much help to bring more literacy capabilities.

23.  What does Gauntlet say Web 2.0 is relation to representation?

He says that people do not just get represented by the media they consume anymore, in fact they represent themselves through their own media that they share with others.

24.  Dan Gillmor talks about blogs, what are his views on how these Web 2.0 outlets enpower people?

He says that blog allow normal everyday people to coment on real life events and become involved in the news and politics of everyday life. This in turn leads to these people being able to comment on official journalism.

25.  ‘Many people would say that media still introduces us to new ideas and controls us, often influencing the way we live, all of which come from powerful media organisations’ but Web 2.0 contradicts this, how?

Web 2.0 has lead to people now viewing media as a group of networks in which people can choose to be more or less involved in. they can be involved in many ways, creatively, communicatively and democraticly. This means that rather than media influencing people, people are influencing media and changing it.

26.  Web 2.0 has accelerated fan culture, how does this fan culture enrich the institutions behind the original material? Staring with ‘The Sopranos’ may help.

The makers of ‘The Sopranos’ have to accept that interpretations and imitations of their material is made, but this can be a huge advantage to the institution who made the original content because the more people remaking and often ‘spoofing’ the series leads to more interest and creates a larger fan base.

27.  How can we link the rise of Web 2.0 to the rise of cross media convergence?

Web 2.0 allows many TV series to expand to have their own website but futher more people who create new versions of their work on sites such as ‘Youtube’ leads to further wide spread media convergence. This means that even if the makers of the media did not intend to send their material into the cross media convergence world, the fans almost certainly will.

28.  What are the key point Guantlett makes about the flaws media studies have made up until now?

Media studies has been too interested in the media it makes and in particular the self-contained media. It has not been attentive to people and how the people give meaning to culture.

29.  What must you do when approaching media products?

You must approach them in an academic way, a creative way that uses established concepts such as representation and bring an understand of how people read media in modern times.

30.  What are the four elements that must be combined to be media literate?

1. Create media
2. Assess content and information through research
3. Analyse cultural products
4. Evaluate theories