Engaged and Better Informed Through Media Literacy

From the Providence Journal, October 19, 2024

Are you media literate? The 10th annual U.S. Media Literacy Week Oct. 21-25 is your chance to answer that question, and to celebrate the importance of critical thinking about media as a fundamental life skill. 

There are those in our state who seek to demonize media literacy and falsely claim it trains teachers to utilize censorship tools or discourage students from viewing content that educators disagree with. Nothing could be further from the truth. Far right-wing conflict entrepreneurs have whipped up fear and doubt about media literacy education by suggesting that children are paid to lobby for censorship on social media. 

The reality is that media literacy education simply helps students of all ages learn how to analyze media by asking critical questions about the messages we encounter, and to take time to consider our own response as an independent thinker. Also, learning to use the power of media and communication to advocate for a cause you believe in is a vital citizenship skill. Both are good reasons why media literacy must be a key part of civic education. 

Being able to tell the difference between whether a message is trying to tell you something or sell you something, or to recognize the strategies used by conflict entrepreneurs who exploit the business model of media for pleasure, power and profit are also the skills of digital citizenship.

People have asked me, “Does media literacy have something to do with computers?” Technology certainly plays a part in it, because digital technologies have changed at an increasingly rapid pace over the past 10 years.  However, the ability to access, analyze and reflect on the media messages we receive remains constant and it has never been more important in this time of increasing political polarization when disinformation and propaganda are rampant. 

Some people see media literacy education as a means to protect young people from the worst aspects of media culture by minimizing potential risks and harms. For example, some educational leaders are banning cell phones in school as a means to increase classroom engagement and prevent inappropriate filming. Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green says this can be a way to reduce the distractions that interfere with learning. 

But everyone who is reading this newspaper knows that what people love about media technology and media and what we hate about it are pretty well balanced. We love the 24-hour access to information and entertainment, which is why we spend about six (or more) hours a day consuming it. For lifelong learners, media and technology are vital tools to stimulate and satisfy intellectual curiosity.   

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recognizes that media literacy is a critical prevention tool to address the fear and hate that can lead to targeted violence, and partnered with the University of Rhode Island’s Media Education Lab to share that tool with interested Rhode Islanders. The Courageous RI program gave adults, teachers and youth the opportunity to practice media literacy competencies, such as recognizing the author of a message, the target audience, and the point of view depicted through production techniques. People also got a chance to engage in civil conversation about issues like media influencers, cancel culture, hate speech, radicalization, and the regulation of digital platforms. 

Recently, the state Department of Health received one of 35 grants from the Department of Homeland Security to address concern about youth involvement in targeted violence, and Courageous Conversations will continue as part of that program. 

There’s nothing to fear here but fear itself. Media literacy and Courageous Conversations allow diverse perspectives to be heard and explored in a respectful manner, which brings a greater understanding and appreciation for our differences. They provide a place to agree to disagree without resorting to polarization, hatred and violence, and I think that makes Media Literacy Week worth celebrating.

Pam Steager is director of community engagement at the Media Education Lab at the University of Rhode Island.