Description of the Media Literacy Website Section
The chosen website is the Center for Media Literacy (CML, https://www.medialit.org/). It provides a multitude of resources aimed at enhancing media literacy. One particular section that stands out is their “Five Key Questions That Can Change the World.” These five questions are:
- Who created this message?
- What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
- How might different people understand this message differently than me?
- What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in or omitted from this message?
- Why is this message being sent? (“Five Key Questions,” n.d.).
Teaching these five key questions would be beneficial in engaging in critical thinking about the media they consume daily. Each question prompts the viewer to consider the media message’s context, purpose, and potential biases, encouraging active and informed consumption instead of passive acceptance.
How the Chosen Element Enhances Media Literacy
This element is essential in media literacy because it encourages critical thinking and active engagement with media. It teaches learners not to accept media at face value but to question its sources, techniques, perspectives, and intended effects (Buckingham, 2019). In an era of information overload and the prevalence of fake news, this questioning approach can help learners discern reliable sources from unreliable sources, identify and challenge biases, and understand the complex ways media messages are constructed to influence audiences.
Popular Culture Example to Illustrate the Media Literacy Element
An example of how to apply these questions in popular culture is the TV show “Game of Thrones.” The show’s creators, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, used creative techniques like suspense, romance, and violence to attract viewers’ attention. Different viewers could interpret
The show differently based on their heritage, personal beliefs, or life experiences (Buckingham, 2019). It represents certain lifestyles and values, such as power, honor, and survival, while omitting others, like peace and equality. The message could be about the brutal nature of power struggles, morality’s ambiguity, or life’s unpredictability. By asking these five key questions, viewers can understand and evaluate the show on a deeper level, enhancing their media literacy skills.
References
Buckingham, D. (2019). The media education manifesto. John Wiley & Sons.
Five Key Questions That Can Change the World (n.d.). Medialit. Web.