Tag Archives: Media Literacy

Improving Personal Media Literacy

22 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Media Literacy, Psychology

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Media literacy involves becoming aware of the ways in which the media attempt to influence an audience through messaging, be it verbal or otherwise. W. James Potter provides 12 guidelines to increase personal media literacy in his book Media Literacy, 6th edition which include:

  1. Strengthening one’s personal locus
  2. Focusing on usefulness as a goal when exposing oneself to the media
  3. Developing an accurate awareness of one’s media exposure
  4. Acquiring a broad base of useful knowledge
  5. Taking in consideration the Reality-Fantasy Continuum
  6. Examining one’s mental codes
  7. Examining one’s opinions
  8. Changing behaviors, as appropriate
  9. Making cross-channel comparisons
  10. Becoming skilled at designing messages
  11. Not taking one’s privacy for granted
  12. Taking more personal responsibility

These are well thought out guidelines to which I would include a couple of thoughts.  In regard to item nine, while making cross-channel comparisons may increase the depth of knowledge surrounding a topic, but one must realize that many channels of information are owned by the same conglomerates (graphic from Mondo Times).

Who Owns the Media

For example, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) is one of the top six producers and owners of content from an American perspective. It controls television channels, for which it is primarily known, as well as film, radio, publishing, and various other “online properties.” News Corporation, a competitor of CBS, owns many of the same types of media that CBS does, but News Corporation adds newspapers and magazines to its portfolio AND maintains a global focus with its properties (Columbia Journalism Review, 2011; Mondo Times, 2012). The point is: checking information from a source on TV (channel 1) to a source in print (channel 2) may not be advantageous if the sources are owned by the same corporation (which may not be immediately evident). People tend to seek out information that supports their existing world views and, as a result, they reinforce what they believe and rarely understand counter viewpoints, or the entire picture.

To be knowledgeable on a topic means to thoroughly understand the arguments for and against it – having a broad base of knowledge (number four on Potter’s list). In order to accomplish that, one must take the time to consume the messaging from the other “side” – a cross-party comparison. This may mean watching content that may not be in one’s comfort zone while maintaining a neutral attitude and keeping an open mind about a topic. A technique I have developed for myself, having worked with the media extensively, is to listen to what is presented in the national news media and then compare that information with what is being discussed in the international media – a cross cultural comparison. American’s tend to live inside of what I like to refer to as a “media bubble” that echoes much of the same messaging from channel to channel. Comparing information from international sources tends to deflate that bubble, or add to the breadth of knowledge on a topic. Content providers such as the BBC, Al Jazeera English and Russia Today present different perspectives which can be quite informing.

Last, one should understand what fallacious arguments are (errors in reasoning resulting in a misconception which can be used purposefully), and that there are more than 90 types of them. An example would be the ad hominem argument that attacks an individual’s credibility, vice a topic of discussion (Lindsay, 2012). Another type of fallacious argument that is frequently seen in news commentary is the failure to state technique. This technique allows the user to “attack” the subject matter and control the discourse by continually questioning it, vice stating one’s own position. Understanding and recognizing these techniques can prime a person to seek other sources of information, or to personally conduct research.

References

Columbia Journalism Review. (2011, Aug 7). Who Owns What? Retrieved Nov 21, 2012, from Columbia Journalism Review: http://www.cjr.org/resources/?c=cbs

Lindsay, D. (2012, Aug 18). A List Of Fallacious Arguments. Retrieved Nov 22, 2012, from Don Lindsay Archive: http://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/skeptic/arguments.html

Mondo Times. (2012). Who Owns The Media. Retrieved Nov 22, 2012, from Mondo Times: http://www.mondotimes.com/

Potter, W. J. (2013). Media Literacy. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

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Unintended Media Effects and Media Literacy

14 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Media Effects, Media Literacy, Psychology

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Being in the media, purposefully or otherwise, can have unintended effects, many of which the media will never stop and apologize for. Such is the case for Neda Soltani, a professor of English literature, whose Facebook picture was downloaded and disseminated among Iranian protesters – en masse. According to the New York Times article In a Death Seen Around the World, a Symbol of Iranian Protests Neda Agha-Soltan, notice there is no “i” at the end of her name, was shot in the chest and died when she went to witness a protest in Tehran shortly after the conclusion of the elections that reinstated President Ahmadinejad. Her death was caught on video and subsequently went viral.

Agha-Soltan

Shortly afterward the media published a photo of Soltani claiming it was Soltan – a mistake that Soltani has had to live with ever since. In an article for the BBC, Neda Soltani: ‘The media mix-up that ruined my life’, Soltani discusses the repercussions she has had to deal with to include becoming a martyr for a protest she did not participate in, government persecution, accusations of being a CIA spy, and becoming a political refugee.

Neda Soltani (left) and Neda Agha-Soltan (right)

Neda Soltani (left) and Neda Agha-Soltan (right)

There are a couple of things at work here. The first is media and journalistic responsibility – or lack thereof. Because of the speed at which news travels across the internet, media outlets feel more and more pressure to release information as fast as possible, without taking the appropriate amount of time to verify the facts, or allow the complete story to play out before reporting on it. This is all part of the cycle to bring in a larger audience, in order to attract more advertisers and increased revenue for which the media competes with other outlets. As Ahmadinejad is not a popular foreign leader here in the United States, the media rushed to publicize the fallout that followed.  Soltani and Soltan were both used as pawns to frame the protests. Second, few members of the media have attempted to correct the record, which is part of what makes the BBC’s coverage important as a model for reporting. For a typical American media outlet, their is an old adage that “if it bleeds, it leads” which basically means that violence will always be covered right up front, especially political violence that can incorporate a pretty face as a victim. What is reprehensible is the lack of responsibility to correct the record in the aftermath — but that’s not what audiences will stop to see, or advertisers will pay for, as a result. Cognitively, people are conditioned and drawn to stop and witness violence or tragedy. It’s a part of our innate nature to be curious as to the fate of others. We learn through observation. The media plays upon this to garner attention and profit repeatedly. Increasing one’s media literacy in regard to the economic agenda of the media is the first step to understanding how audiences are told what to think about, and how to think about it, and to freeing one’s own mind from their effects.

References

BBC News Magazine. (2012, Nov 14). Neda Soltani: ‘The media mix-up that ruined my life’. Retrieved Nov 14, 2012, from BBC News Magazine: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20267989

Fathi, N. (2009, June 22). In a Death Seen Around the World, a Symbol of Iranian Protests. Retrieved Nov 14, 2012, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/world/middleeast/23neda.html?_r=0

Wikipedia. (2012, Nov 14). Death of Neda Agha-Soltan. Retrieved Nov 14, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Neda_Agha-Soltan

Facebook (Internet) Psychology

03 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by in Media Literacy, Psychology

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Although titled “Facebook Psychology,” the team at Best Masters in Psychology have put together a great graphic discussing internet addiction, how it works – to include Skinners’ Operant Conditioning in the form of rewards and for proper behavior – and its possible effects, such as decreased attention span and the rise of ADHD. In an article on Forbes website, Alice Walton points out that studies are already being conducted to try and reduce internet addiction using cognitive behavioral therapy.

What to do:

The internet can be an incredible distraction with its multitude of links and topics. Nicolas Carr observes in his 2011 book How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember that linear thought of the past is “giving way to short, disjointed, often overlapping bursts – the faster, the better.” Because of our growing awareness of these issues, apps and programs, such as Freedom© and Self Control©, have been created to help limit our access to the internet, and supposedly make us more productive – if we can shut the television off too.

Facebook Psychology

References

Antonius J. van Rooij, M. F. (2012). Treating Internet Addiction With Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: A Thematic Analysis of the Experiences of Therapists. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 10 (1), 69-82.

Best Masters In Psychology. (2012). Internet Addiction. Retrieved Nov 3, 2012, from Best Masters In Psychology: http://www.bestmastersinpsychology.com/internet-addiction/

McLeod, S. (n.d.). Skinner: Operant Conditioning. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from Simply Psychology: http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html

Salvador, M. (2013, March 28). Internet Addiction: The Facts. Retrieved from Megan Salvador: http://megsalva.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/internet-addiction-the-facts/

Walton, A. G. (2012, Oct 2). Internet Addiction Is The New Mental Health Disorder. Retrieved Nov 3, 2012, from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2012/10/02/the-new-mental-health-disorder-internet-addiction/

Wilkinson, C. (2012, Sept 6). Shutting Out a World of Digital Distraction. Retrieved Nov 3, 2012, from The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9522845/Shutting-out-a-world-of-digital-distraction.html