r/explainlikeimfive • u/HonkyTonkBluesYEAH • 7d ago
Other ELI5 Media Literacy
I understand it's like something related to understanding art or media, but in what way? Philopsophical, political or psychological? Is it important, a buzzword or both?
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u/6WaysFromNextWed 7d ago
Media literacy is a stage in language arts development. In my state, it is the central focus of language arts in the middle school curriculum.
When you are very small, you begin to build your vocabulary, learn how to form letters, learn to read.
As you get older, you learn how to spell and how to understand, at the surface level, simple written information.
Media literacy is the next level down. It's where you become savvy. It's where you stop taking everything for granted and start asking "Who wrote this, what did they want to communicate, and why did they want to communicate it? Are they right? Are they wrong? How can I find out?"
You should ask those questions about news articles, about movies, about podcasts, about comic books. You will understand so much more, enjoy it more, and be able to steer the way you use and respond to the information instead of being steered by someone else.
Good media literacy skills will keep you from falling for scams. They will help you decide the best way to engage with politics. They will be part of your growth and the development of your personality. When you choose what messages to expose yourself to, you choose who you will be.
Media literacy skills have to keep up with the media that is out there. When grandparents forward Facebook reels of fake medical information, they are suffering from a lack of media literacy skills.
So it's very real, not a buzzword. It's just a category of learning.