Is it really enough for students to be ‘critical’ of media? Some thoughts about the continuing need for critical thinking – and critical action – in media education.
Is teaching critical media analysis sufficient to address the challenges of a changing media environment – let alone the wider social and political malaise of the contemporary world? Some commentators have argued that it is not – and indeed that it may prove counter-productive. Of course, media may be more of a symptom than a cause here. The forces that motivate hate speech and disinformation clearly have deeper sources: populist politics, violent extremism and the increasing polarization and confrontational tone of political debate cannot simply be put down to the influence of social media.
Trying to address these problems by promoting a more distanced, analytical approach to media may well seem like an unduly rationalistic response. There is even a danger that media education may further encourage cynicism and distrust – qualities that are key to the appeal of conspiracy theories. There has been an ongoing debate about these issues among media educators over the past few months…
- : https://davidbuckingham.net/2018/07/18/going-critical/
- : David Buckingham
- : davidbuckingham.net