Media Literacy

In today’s blog I will be talking about the impact of digital media and why it can be useful in many ways. As for why I’m talking about this is that I think it can helpful why we use digital platforms and media in our daily lives and a few resources can help explain why it has a great impact in our lives.

The word “literacy” in original terms is someone who could read and write as well as to connect with visual knowledge to rational brain processes. In the first site I visited for my research called Media Literacy Ireland, it is said that the main components that makes up digital literacy are the ability to do the following: Understand and critically evaluate broadcasts, digital and other media content and services, in order to make informed choices and the best manage media use; Access and use broadcast and digital media content and services in a safe and secure manner, to maximise risks; Create and participate via media, in a responsible, ethical and effective manner, in the creative, cultural and democratic aspects of society.    

In a blog by Mike Caulfield, he made a simple way of increasing media literacy in an acronym called SIFT: Stop, Investigate the source, Find a trusted source to verify and Trace claims, quotes and media back to original context.  We must think of this method when we do our research to avoid plagiarism.

As for digital media, it is focusing on how easily people use technology and how comfortable they are in an online environment. Which is why there are seven component of digital literacy which I have found in webwise which are: critical thinking, online safety skills, digital culture, collaboration and creativity, finding information, communication and netiquette, functional skills. You need these components to be able to get by in your daily life as technology has become a part of our lives.

So in the opinion piece that I found called Digital Media Companies found lacking in helping users understanding the online environment, and in my research, I have found that many people have concern relation to misinformation online as the opinion piece says “This year’s digital news report Ireland once again highlighted the on-going worries over misinformation with 62% of people surveyed saying that they are concerned about misinformation online.” This is not a surprise to me as not everything on the internet is true. In the same website this is also evident with the discovery of false or misleading information about the pandemic we call Covid-19 across the UK as according to the opinion piece it is said that “When sharing information about Covid-19, 83% of Northern Ireland participants share information to colleagues, family and friends either in person or on the phone (England 76%, Scotland 77%, Wales 78%). Whilst 4 in 10 people were using social media as a source of information about the pandemic.” Which leads people to believe such lies because their loved ones send this kind of information.

In the article I read, they said that “Most NML education highlights the challenges journalists face by contrasting journalists’ duties to be accurate and inclusive in their reporting with the constraints and pressures that journalists encounter in their jobs,  including commercial pressures and competition for audiences’ attention (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2007; Potter, 2018). These pressures intersect with news production processes to influence how news is created and consumed (Postman and Powers, 1992; Potter, 2018). NML education is concerned with conveying the  ability  of  media  to  shape  the  public’s  perceptions  of  reality  –  often  by  selecting which stories to cover or which aspects of those stories to emphasize (Ashley et al., 2013; Jeong et al., 2012; Rosenbaum et al., 2008).” This leads to journalists exaggerating the story to get more audience. 

Sources:

Media Literacy Ireland

webwise.ie

Mike Caulfield's Blog

Ofcom research: Nearly half of people across the UK nations have come across false or misleading information about Covid-19

Digital Media Companies Found Lacking in Helping Users Understand The Online Environment

Tully M, Vraga EK, Smithson A-B. News media literacy, perceptions of bias, and interpretation of the news. Journalism. 2020;21(2):209-226. doi:10.1177/1464884918805262



Comments

  1. Name: Evin Beatty
    URL of post reviewed:
    My favourite part of the blog post was how you explained digital literacy how you used sources to provide examples and statistics. I enjoyed the breaking down of digital literacy into the seven components as it gave a better understanding of what it meant. What I think you have done well is, used the sources we were given to provide the facts in your blog post. This is beneficial as it shows the reader you have done your research on the topic. Two questions I have about the topic are, how has digital media evolved from traditional media, and what implications does digital media offer for communication in today's world. Having read this blog post, I have learned some new statistics on misinformation in media and I think I will use some more quoting in my own blogs from now on. One thing I can recommend for you to try in future blogs, is to use some more of your interpretations and ideas on the topic as you have already used quoting very well so far. Overall, I enjoyed reading the blog and think that there was a lot of valuable information in the content.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Name: Ciara Fox
    After reading your blog post I thought it was a well-researched and constructed blog. At first glance, I enjoyed the layout and style of the post. The background colours are bright & colourful and the text is easy to read. Your points were clear and concise and broken up into smaller paragraphs which made it easy, as the reader, to digest the information. I also liked how you backed up your points with facts, statistics and quotes which made the post feel credible and trustworthy. In addition to that you cited your sources helping to validate the information in the post.

    However, there were a few minor things that I feel could be improved to make this post even better. You could try addressing your audience, for example Hello Everyone, this could help to connect with your audience and be more personable. Questions I asked myself while reading your blog included, Are Digital Media Companies doing anything to help with the spread of misinformation? Do Multinational Digital Media Companies such as Google support the idea of educating the public on media literacy skills? You might consider these points when reviewing your blog but overall I thought it was a well written blog with plenty of detail and research which made for an interesting read.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My favourite part of the blog post is how well researched it is and how you used sources to provide for your audience if they find some information and want to read in more detail. I also really liked the way you informed your audience about media literacy, your layout of your blog and your information about the topic really gave me a good understanding for literacy and that is the key component to make sure your audience understand what you are talking about. The things I think you could improve on is to be more interacting with your audience and address them to make it feel a bit more personal. My question that I have for you is is digital media companies doing anything to help people with the spread of misinformation. But overall I thought your blog was written very well and it was well researched and I really enjoyed reading it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. After reading this blog I felt it was laid out very well which made it easier to follow along with and read. There was a great use of referencing throughout this post which made it a very reliable blog.The language was also suitable for all readers who may want to further there knowledge on this topic.

    Maybe for future reference you could add in some more of your own insights and opinions on the topic which might benefit some readers.I also feel that you could've been more clear about what NML is and what it stands for for those who may be unaware of them.

    Overall, I feel that this blog was very well written.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rewrite#3

Introduction