The Social Impact of Media Literacy: An Activist Media Approach

This
paper was presented at the  Rio 3rd Global Forum of the UNAoC as part of  the thematic session addressing
the issue of  the social impact of media
literacy.   Media Literacy was
conceptualised  as a transversal
socio-cultural development encompassing the contemporary convergence of
multi-platform media with formal and informal education.

At a more profound and
consequential level, the vision of ML education is to  cultivate critical young minds towards the
media, by developing  their ability to
analyse and critically evaluate social reality which are shaped by the media,
to make thoughtful decisions and to be enlightened, involved and active citizens
in a democratic society[1].
 

As
aware as we are of the power of the media, to shape our worldviews,  social perceptions, and behavior, with their attendant negative
impact, we also should understand the social 
impact of ML education. We should especially study its constructive
impact for dealing with a variety of global and
local  issues,  by using an activist media approach for  social change: to apply a participatory
approach as media producers rather than as media consumers.

 

To further inform the
presentation of this paper, and place it within the context of media literacy activism, it’s important to note some of
the arguments addressed in this thematic session, which evolved from questions
such as:

How does Media Literacy promote active
citizenship?

How does Media Literacy increase awareness
of and respect for others?

What is the role of the mass media and
journalists in this process?

How can Media Literacy help to promote
intercultural dialogue?

 

These questions take on
renewed significance in this new media age, because of the nature of the
communications arena and the public space it offers. It also pertains to the
roles played by journalists, and the implications of all these on social
reality and the identity of the audience, especially youngsters who have become
central actors  here.

In this context, I  would like to cite a survey that apparently provides
additional proof of the importance of the discussion about the social impact of
media literacy.

 The survey was recently conducted by the
Burson Marsteller company[2]
among 115 senior journalists in 27 countries in Europe, the Middle East
(including Israel) and Africa, about the status of journalists.

Increasing competition by
Wikipedia and dedicted blogs – this is what printed journalism has looked like
in recent years. 80% of the participants reported cutbacks and especially the
firing of veteran journalists in favor of inexperienced youngsters. And in
response to the question of what constitutes the greatest danger to quality
journalism today – 40% of them responded that hiering less experienced
employees at lower salaires is the threat, because fewer people  devot time to research and to checking facts.
11% of them said that the social networks improved the press while 13%
contended that these sites detracted from journalistic work, apparently because
information is so readily accessible to the public at large that they  can find the information by themselves. And
finally, whether we are talking about the new media or the old media, the role
of PR personnel and press agents was and remains significant – 83% of the
respondents said that PR people are an important factor in their work.

These findings paint a
picture of today’s reality that intensifies the importance and potential
contribution of education for media literacy. Especially the need to adopt a
more active approach, to promote more participation of  citizen in a democratic society. As for the youngsters,
this entails expanding their options as participants in media activity as part
of a dialogue with their community, enabling them to engage in social discourse
so very available thanks to digital media technologies, social networks, blogs
and all the latest fads.

In this sense, their participation will 
grant  them actual influence over
issues that are crucial to the quality of their lives and to justice in their
communities.

As David Buckingham[3]
defines it, their viewpoint should see them ‘as significant social actors in
their own rights, as "beings", and not simply as
"becomings" who should be judged in terms of their projected futures.

 

In my 
Department, Communication studies at Oranim
College in Israel, we have adopted and branded
the concept of media activism in the orientation of media literacy. For four
years, students gain experience not only in critical approach towards the media
content, but also in how to harness the mass media for promoting ideas and
activities of organizations in their community. Such  as: promoting the association for organ
transplants, community policing in schools, the rights of the organization of
rehabilitative teachers, and much more.

Among the
subjects that students learn as part of media activism:

 

–        
The
stages of a public campaign and recruiting community agents, among them the
media

 

–        
Dealing
with objections to the campaign by establishment agents, the opposition or the
media

 

–        
Tools
for preventing “media flooding” or allowing the public to become disgusted with
the public campaign

 

–        
Practical
workshop: How to implement a public campaign – theory in practice

 

At the conclusion of each group project, students
organized a press conference in which they themselves served as PR people,
producers of texts and messages, and participating journalists. In this way
they experience what Giddens[4]
calls,  the self-reflexive
process. As part of being modern individuals who need to make decisions about
what they should be, the self becomes a kind of project that individuals have to
work on. In general this is a positive development and part of a broader
process of democratization.

Their experiences with media activism provide them
the tool to implement this idea. Thus, the subjects they choose to deal with
and promote through the media illustrate the way in which media literacy may
increase
awareness and
respect for others, by engaging in social inquiry and participation. This is
particularly true when they acknowledge that their involvement might have
meaning and will be respected. This is recognized as truly significant and
transformative by  Miles Horton, an
educator of social movement .Because the danger lies in too little
participation.

To illustrate this, I will quote several statements
by two students, one of them 25 years old, the other 23.

Which issues in society bother you?

·       
The 25
year old:

“The issue of workers, workers’ rights, bothers me, quality of the
environment and in general how the media are conducted. I also write about them
in my blog  I started…I write not only what
I ate this morning but all sorts of current events that happen, that bother me,
that get under my skin…"

“I suddenly feel some sort of desire to change"

“…I also read a lot of news on the internet, respond to the articles in
talkbacks; that’s really important. I do it because it’s important…and because
it’s fun for me to respond.”

 

 

·       
The 23
year old:

“A person who contributes also enjoys. He also
gains a lot from it, beyond the tools you learn and the satisfaction you gain.
You also gain a certain amount of what I’d call…autonomy.”

From his criticism of the media

“In the press, in the media, even television, I see
them moving towards pornography. Or violence, which is very close to sex. And I
think this is being done overtly or covertly.

“…And many journalists don’t have this courage.
It’s as though whatever makes them uncomfortable they won’t talk about and
they’ll build some sort of ‘utopian’ picture about their attitude…”

“…People who come to education are not people who
stand by and watch. These are people who say ‘that’s not the way. This is how
it should be and I’m going to change it.”

 

Both students 
put critical literacy into practice: 
For them it’s a framework to engage in the collective examination and
production of media. A pedagogy that teaches them continuous inquiry and
reflection – what Paulo Freire and Donaldo Macedo[5]
 have described as a "relationship
of learners to the world.” Developing an awareness of one’s identity and
agency, in which learning about the world is directly linked to the possibility
of changing it.

In the broadest sense, experiencing media activism
expands their understanding of the way in which the media interpret reality for
them. What impact the media have on them as an audience – a democratic public:
in creating stereotypes, world views, norms and values of hostility and
aggression, changing approaches and manifesting empathy. It also shows them, how
they may contribute by taking an activist approach that engenders changes in
their media-social reality.

These ideas may expand even more in the new digital environment, with the
extensive uses and interactions made possible by social technologies that
challenge youngsters to become even more involved as participants.

Because the digital narrative is based on open accounts, the treatment of
ethnicity and gender allows massive self-representation and the visibility of
"the other” on the web.

New methods of investigation, the more participatory forms of media culture
that are now emerging (e.g., blogging, social networking, video production,
YouTube, game making and so on) cultivate ‘participator culture’ as
recognized by  Jenkins[6] .
These new communicative vehicles may serve as platforms for dialogue, discourse
and connection. By using a mix of technologies educationally, youth can learn
to represent themselves without being confined to structures that keep them out
of public debate. This is a significant challenge: to develop youth identity in
existing community structures and discourses, where edu-communicators are
intentionally guiding them through learning processes that support them as they
intervene in the communities in which they seek to participate. These are the
moments in which we can see how youth also assert their agency, making use of
the community’s social and cultural technologies to put their everyday
electronic media into action.

From the media literacy perspective, media production and the various
social interactions in which youth and groups are engaged in digital spaces,
reflect their participation in the wider structures that influence their lives.
This may also bring them to new levels of participation that will surprise and
inspire adults who support their democratic engagement. It may also encourage
them to engage in intercultural dialogue, creating new channels
through which decisions can be made, and learning in intergenerational
contexts.