A Response to W. James Potter's Media Literacy: Chapter 2
Mass media is very much a modern phenomena; and, as such, it is hard to pin down the exact significance such a startling cultural change is going to have on society. The impacts upon the individual however might be observed, and even manipulated. Research on Edward Bernays [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays]] has made me a skeptical media user and consumer. Media is a step into a new age, and depending upon how administrators use this tool it may be a positive or negative exchange.
First and foremost, mass media communicates to connect with people on a widespread scale. These interactions are happening in an unprecedented volume today. What does this mean for us though? How will these new mediums affect our interactions, learning, and reality? For one thing, the world has become much smaller. Media has enabled more transparency than ever between continents and nations, societies and communities. The status quo has been shattered all over the world as the freedom of information floods to and from ordinary people. No society has been untouched by the sweeping digital age.
It is important to remember when participating in the consumption and creation of mass media that we are also exposing ourselves as individuals. This can be easily forgotten in the face of the sheer size of information spread before us. This is why media literacy is a vital skill to both harness and practice in contemporary society. Media literacy education needs to be implemented into curriculum and culture so that the generations to come will have the necessary tools to participate productively in a media dependent workforce. Our dependency as a species since the advent of food production has been to lean on new technologies as a means of adaption and progress- modern technology is simply the newest embodiment of an archaic instinct.
The Three Building Blocks (personal locus, knowledge structures, skills) demonstrate the power consumers have over their exchange with media, and thus technology. When choosing to interact in such an intimate fashion with “astroturf” as Sharon Attkisson would dub it, users must practice these defensive measures in order to ensure that they are controlling their media consumption; rather, than allowing their media consumption to control them.
I have included here a few videos (one explains “astroturf”) which I think articulate some intriguing sentiments about modern media. I think it is important to be very critical of modern mutations of media since we are birthing a new era of production: Information Production. We must ensure media is utilized in a fashion that is beneficial to not only society but also the individual.
References
Potter, W. J. (2016). Media literacy. Los Angeles: SAGE.