Section 1
Persuasive Rationale for Media Literacy Education
NAMLE defines it as the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create different media types. It’s not just about understanding content and media but knowing how to respond thoughtfully. It’s about understanding and thinking critically about the media. Media literacy allows us to be aware of how it shapes and influences our views and decisions.
In today’s world, we’re bombarded with media in almost every waking moment. The saturation of media is expanding just as quickly as technology. James Potter writes, “An interesting statistic is that it's estimated that 90% of the world’s data has been generated within the past two years alone. The world produces over 400 million terabytes each day (Potter, 2019).” With those numbers in mind, we can see just how much information has been created in such a short amount of time. Understanding how technology advancement influences the reach of media is just one way to understand media literacy.
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The rapid onset of social media lends a hand in that advancement. The University of Maine shares that “there are an estimated 4.8 billion social media users across the globe. This includes almost 92.7% of all internet users. Collectively the world spends 11.5 billion hours on social media every day (Maine, 2023).” A multitude of new types of media are created every single day. While it’s impossible for ingest every piece of media every single day, but we can learn how to make sense of it all.
To understand media literacy, we must know and understand how it’s built. Media literacy uses building blocks called “frameworks” as a foundation. The core concepts for it include the following:
Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh: https://www.pexels.com/photo/building-canes-2138126/
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All media messages are constructed.
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Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.
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Different people experience the same media message differently.
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Media have embedded values and points of view.
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Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power
Two of these in particular “All media messages are constructed” and that “Media have embedded values and points of view” I believe are the most impactful. While the other building blocks are important, the two that were listed above have the most overreach within media literacy.
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All media has a framework, and the message is built from that framework. The author (or creator) of the media determines the who, what, where, when, and why of the message. Media literacy opens the idea of “constructedness” (Potter, 2019). At its core, “constructedness” represents the idea that all media is created and shaped by the work and choices of the creators. It's the framework and architecture of the message itself.
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Potter writes that “media texts are built just as buildings and highways are put together: a plan is made, the building blocks are gathered and ordinary people get paid to do various jobs.” There are many jobs, and many steps required to build anything. Without the framework, there's no building/construction.
All media messages are constructed
By understanding that context, we can better understand and develop our opinions about a piece of media. When decoding media, positive or negative impacts on an audience are significant. The effects are almost as significant as the message behind the produced media. "Company A's" biased message could do good or bad depending on its intention. The message could harm or could also benefit greatly. The narrative of a media presentation can also help or harm. There’s what the viewer sees and the whole meaning behind it.
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The image to the left represents the importance of media framing and “constructedness”. Each viewer can see and understand the same media message differently. There’s always what we see and how it’s presented.
The idea of authorship, especially regarding media literacy, is one of creation and of choice. One could argue that “constructedness” and choice are one in the same because it takes choice to create something. Media producers can use plenty of techniques to influence the final product positively or negatively.
Framing, the specific use of various words, the use (or not) of subject matter experts, or even the use of clickbait are just a few techniques that can be used to influence media. It's vital we know the authors of the media because we'll be able to infer all the who, what, where, when, and why of the work. It's important to see and understand the context behind a piece of media.
How might different people understand this message differently?
Focusing on CML (2005) “Five Key Questions that can Change the World” we see a different set of questions that can influence how we see and understand how media is produced.
The Five Questions are:
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Who created this message?
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What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
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How might different people understand this message differently?
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What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
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Why is this message being sent?
Out of the five questions from CML, I’ll focus on question 3: “How might different people understand this message differently?” This question ties directly into the idea that our biases affect how we act and think about certain things. Those biases, whether they are known or unknown, influence how we respond. They influence our voluntary and involuntary responses to the things we see and encounter on a daily basis.
The way we see and understand media is all dependent on a variety of things. Everything from technology access to educational understanding and background to our biases. Biases can shape how we see, feel, and understand media. One example of this can be found below:
On the left we see some of the types of biases we can encounter. Those biases can consist of various cognitive, social, cultural, and media influences. On the right we see how those on the left effect personal biases and beliefs.
Biases can all affect what we believe (or not) in and also affect our personal decisions, perspectives, personalities, and a multitude of other things. They help us develop our personal beliefs and bias. Biases can cover a wild swath of how we are as individuals. Our biases not only can affect how we interrupt media, but how evaluate, share and/or produce it. Understanding how our inherent bias affects how we absorb media is key. We can’t fully understand it unless we are versed in media literacy.
These concepts form the basis of understanding for how we see and process media. It also helps the viewer develop the skill of critical thinking. Thinking critically about a piece of media helps us see any underlying influences or biases. It can also help us combat misinformation regarding media presentation.
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Misinformation is now a fact of digital life. Dr. Colleen Sinclair writes, “The problem of misinformation isn’t going away.” With information available at the touch of a button, we must not take that information at face value. With the onset of digital natives, or those who have grown up with technology, technology is just part of their lives. They’ve grown up knowing how to use and access technology. They’ve also been raised in an age of misinformation. It’s easy to see a meme or hear people in positions of power share information, and we see the information presented as fact.
The above image shows the importance of protecting our minds against the dangers of misinformation. With misinformation there’s a fine line between what’s fake and what’s fact. Critical thinking and understanding media literacy can help people see the difference between fact and fake.
The framework of media is important to know and understand. By thinking critically about any piece of media, we’re able to see the whole picture. As shown in Figure 2, there are big differences between reality, what’s presented, and what we perceive. While we know there is a reality, everyone can see things differently based on their preexisting and inherent biases. It’s important for viewers to understand the frameworks of media presentation. By knowing the frameworks, we are more informed and can best understand and even produce media.
Image citation: “Appalachian State University.” CollegeVine, 2025, www.collegevine.com/schools/appalachian-state-university. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.