We currently live in an age where media is surrounding us 24/7 and it is constantly shaping our identity, beliefs and values. Media is everywhere we look and includes books, movies, TV shows, news articles, ads and social media.
Children from the ages of 8 to 18 spend an average of seven hours and 38 minutes with media outside of school, according to The Hill. Therefore it is important for people, especially children, to be taught about media literacy in the classroom and at home. Media literacy is defined as “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create and act using all forms of communication,” according to the National Association for Media Literacy Education.
The prominence of the internet and social media makes it easier than ever to access misinformation and disinformation. The difference between misinformation and disinformation is that misinformation is unintentional, simply a mistake, whereas disinformation is deliberately intending to spread false information.
For example, President Donald Trump has made several false statements during his address to Congress on Mar. 4 where he stated that “Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control.” According to the New York Times, this is misleading. The price of eggs did rise during the Biden administration but this was because of the bird flu, which has affected flocks all over the United States.
This is why it is important to be able to understand what is being said in the media, why it is being said and who it is intended for. Additionally, fake news travels faster on social media than real news does. A study from MIT found that fake news is 70% more likely to be reposted on X than real news.
Media literacy empowers people to become critical thinkers, effective communicators and active citizens. By engaging in the information they receive, people can make informed decisions about issues that impact them including health, politics and every-day life.
Including digital media in a formal education creates a bridge across digital divides and provides equal opportunities in digital environments by ensuring everyone has access to the same skills and abilities. Citizens agree: 84% of adults surveyed by Media Literacy Now support required media literacy education in school. Potential ways to implement media literacy in the classroom include instructional resources, education standards that include media literacy education and laws mandating media literacy teaching.
AP Seminar is one class that teaches media literacy. The class focuses on learning about how to tell if a source is credible and the different tiers of credibility ranging from scholarly articles to opinion-based blogs. AP Seminar also discusses what fake news is and how to identify it. Media literacy is also taught in history and English classes in different forms such as thinking about the purpose of a book or a historical document. “I teach three sections of AP Seminar and [media literacy] is essentially what we do in the class. We learn all about credibility and relevance of sources, how to determine credibility, looking at media bias charts of different journalistic sources,” AP Seminar teacher Melissa Kaplan said.
With current political polarization, eroding trust in mainstream media, and the rise in artificial intelligence, media literacy is more important than ever. Without these skills, anyone can be subjected to exploitation or manipulation. Media literacy not only helps us navigate the ever changing digital world but also produces successful students and responsible citizens.
