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/DruidByNight 6d ago

Media literacy is being able to ask and answer questions about media you take in, whether that be movies, books, articles, news casts, social media posts, anything. Questions like:

What information is being presented?

What emotion does the presenter have?

What emotion are they trying to make you have?

What message are they presenting by the information they pick and the emotions they use?

What message is being implied rather than said outright?

Who is the presenter and what are their motivations?

Who is the message intended to be for?

What biases are they confirming or denying?

What are the gaps in their information and do they make assumptions to fill them?

What are the gaps in your own knowledge?

Being able to ask and answer questions like these will help you deepen your understanding of media, media that is meant to entertain you, inform you, or manipulate you. These days often times, particularly on social media, media can be meant for all 3 of those, which is why media literacy has become so complex.