Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict; why does this happen?
Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can result in conflict due to several reasons. One example would be the misrepresentation of information for the sake of promoting an idea or product which can lead to conflict in the user or customer feeling misled. For instance, let us say a phone company such as Apple creates an advertisement video to promote their new iPhone. The advertisement may contain fancy words and information that may seem appealing to an inexperienced user, however, in reality, the product and features themselves are not nearly as important or innovative as it appears. In this case, although there is some factual information about the product, the advertisement is structured in a way that exaggerates the features. False advertisements can lead to users feeling misled, but it is ultimately up to the user’s media literacy to differentiate what features are actually useful and make the decision whether the product is worth the purchase. The conflict lies in taking all media as facts, this is why a good understanding of media literacy is important to determine what information is factual or exaggerated. As media has become increasingly more abundant in recent years there should be an emphasis on learning media literacy and understanding how to analyze and evaluate media from an objective point of view. Having grown up viewing media on the internet and developing a good sense of media literacy, I often forget that others may not share the upbringing and thus may require some time to learn about media literacy. An example would be my parents who often take what they see in media as facts. Whether the media is from social media sites like Facebook or shared within their friend circle, they do not take the time to look at the credibility of media and figure out what is factual, often leading to a biased perspective on certain topics with little to no factual support. These biases have led to conflicts but have improved over time as they have grown more accustomed to media literacy. Overall, the reason why open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can lead to conflict is that adapting and learning about media literacy may be a hard task, especially when you have become accustomed to taking in all media as facts.
What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?
The benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy is that users are able The benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy is that users are able capable of analyzing and evaluating media and deriving useful information from the media. Media is a wonderful learning tool and being able to share important and useful media sources can encourage learning in the PLN. In my own PLN, if we need help on a specific topic, we often send each other links to relevant and credible information sources. The ability to identify what sources are trustworthy and credible is important in order to obtain quality information. Furthermore, we can also identify which media sources are bad and can flag them to each other. Another benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy is the ability to share information through media. This can come in the form of videos, blog posts, or infographics. Being able to create and share media is a wonderful tool as it can provide a visual and audio representation of information which can make content easy to understand.
I think what you’re saying here about how digital natives have media literacy skills that are much better developed than older generations is true, but I think that it’s also worth noting that there was still a lot of biased media made for their generations, in things like TV, radio magazines or print news. I think that people who didn’t grow up with digital technology can still develop their media literacy skills around digital media by drawing on the skills that they have developed in responding to older forms of media, though I think that there is definitely some unique challenges to digital media specifically. Thanks!
Hi Thomas, I like you blog #8, I found it to be very informative and thought-provoking, and I appreciate how you explore the complexities of navigating the vast and often overwhelming world of media.
One thing that stood out to me was your emphasis on the importance of media literacy in building a strong and informed Personal Learning Network (PLN). I think this is an essential aspect of engaging with the wealth of information and perspectives available online, and your post provides valuable insights into how to do so effectively.
I also appreciate how you address the various challenges and obstacles to media literacy, such as the prevalence of misinformation and the temptation to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs. These are important issues to consider, and your post provides practical advice for overcoming them.
Another key point you make is the value of engaging in open dialogues about media literacy and factual information, even if it may lead to conflict. I think this is an important reminder that meaningful learning and growth often require us to challenge our assumptions and engage with viewpoints that may be different from our own.
Overall, I think your post offers valuable insights and advice for anyone looking to develop their media literacy skills and build a strong and informed PLN. I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future!
Hey Thomasnguyen,
I think your example on the iphone is an amazing one. It’s actually something I myself noticed when speaking with other people. It seems like alot of companies nowadays can just throw a few buzz words around and fool a handful of people. This goes to show why media literacy is so important.
When you mentioned your parents, I actually thought of my own. I do agree with you, older individuals that didn’t grow up with this tech are a little media illiterate, but the thing is, a lot of people in our generation as well are media illiterate. Take for example the people you mentioned in the iphone, majority of those people as a matter of fact are younger people from generations that grew up with technology. I personally don’t believe that age plays a role when it comes to media literacy, I think that all ages can be media literate/illiterate.
Omar,