Media literacy skills

Media literacy has been defined as the ability to “access, analyse, evaluate, and create” messages or rather information across a variety of contexts (Livingstone 2004:3). According to Sonia Livingston (2004:3) the idea of media literacy can no longer be explained as ‘black or white’ but rather has morphed into a ‘rainbow of colours’ with each colour representing vastly different facets of media literacy as a whole. With media literacy expanding and developing with each passing second we need to also grow and adapt so as to effectively use new media literacies. The media skills we need to function in our tech-savvy modern world are made up of two very different components that are, however, dependent on one another. Firstly, one needs to be able to physical navigate new media. An example of this would be, after acquiring the necessary skills, being able to conduct a comprehensive internet search for specified information. Secondly, one needs to be able to not only access required information but also have the skills in place so as to analyze it, “comprehend it, infer meaning and detect balance and bias” (Howard 2006:[sp]). According to Professor David Considine (2006:[sp]) teaching students “to analyze media” could dramatically change their attitudes and behaviors and therefore, could become a vital tool for teachers to use in their lessons across a range of subjects. For those of us that have been fortunate enough to have gained exposure to new media the next step, regarding the acquisition of media literacy skills, would be to learn to interpret media content so as to add beneficially to the contemporary world. A question to ponder about, however, would be: what about those that have never been exposed to new media? Or, what about those that have but have never been given the opportunity to interpret it?