BETTER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Knowledge economy, competitiveness and choice: in a market economy

increasingly based on information, often in a complex and mediated form, a
media and information-literate individual is likely to have more to offer and so
achieve at a higher level in the workplace, and a media and information-literate
society would be innovative and competitive, sustaining a rich array of
choices for the consumer.
Information literacy is crucial to the economic well being as the economy
becomes increasingly information-intensive and dependent upon skilled
knowledge workers working in knowledge-based industries. The skills of
information problem solving, creativity, innovation, collaboration and critical
thinking in an information intensive economy are all linked to the
development of information literacy. The production of new knowledge and
innovation, upon which the future economy depends will require an
information literate workforce. While e-commerce is part of this, there is a need
to radically improve the skill base and attitudes towards the effective use of
information. There is evidence that business has not given sufficient attention
to the value of information in the past and new technology will not
automatically improve the effective analysis and use of information.
IMPROVED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
When people understand media and technology, they are able to access,
analyze, evaluate, and create messages in a wide variety of media, genres, and
forms.
Education for media literacy often uses an inquiry-based pedagogic model that
encourages people to ask questions about what they watch, hear, and read.
Media literacy education provides tools to help people critically analyze
messages, offers opportunities for learners to broaden their experience of
media, and helps them develop creative skills in making their own media
messages.[2] Critical analysis can include identifying author, purpose and point
of view, examining construction techniques and genres, examining patterns of
media representation, and detecting propaganda, censorship, and bias in news
and public affairs programming (and the reasons for these). Media literacy

education may explore how structural featuressuch as media ownership, or

its funding modelaffect the information presented.

Lifelong learning, cultural expression and personal fulfillment: since our highly
reflexive, heavily mediated symbolic environment informs and frames the
choices, values and knowledge that give significance to everyday life, media and
information literacy contributes to the critical and expressive skills that
support a full and meaningful life, and to an informed, creative and ethical
society.
In this media-saturated society, information comes not only through the
written words but also through the images and sounds. Media literacy can
allow students to fluently read and write audio/visual language would have
more competitive power to better thrive in our multimedia culture/
Lifelong learning means education resulting from integration of formal, nonformal, and informal education so as to create ability for continuous lifelong
development of quality of life. Lifelong learning covers the whole range of
learning. That includes formal and informal learning and workplace learning. It
also includes the skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that people
acquire in their day to day experience. Information literacy forms the basis for
lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines to all environments and to all
levels of education, while recognizing the disparities in learning styles and in
the nature and development of literacy in different countries. It enables
learners to master content and extent their investigations to become self
directed. Information literacy aims to develop both critical understanding and
active participation. It enables students to interpret and make informed
judgements as user of information sources; but it also enables them
to become producers of information in their own right, and thereby to become
more powerful participants in society.

MORE COHESIVE SOCIAL UNITS

Democracy, participation and active citizenship: in a democratic society, a
media and information-literate individual is more able to gain an informed

opinion on matters of the day, and to be able to express their opinion

individually and collectively in public, civic and political domains, while a
media and information-literate society would thus support a sophisticated,
critical and inclusive public sphere.
Media literacy is crucial for the development of citizenship skills needed to
promote a thriving democracy. Political campaigns and issues are primarily
conveyed through 30-second television ads or, at best, half-hour news
interviews on Sunday mornings. With so little attention paid to issues from our
primary forms of media consumption, it is imperative for people to learn how to
read the messages they are bombarded with and recognize the reasons and
decisions behind what is being presented to them.
It also restore trust in government and provide strong social services
The current work on e-government and the emphasis on increasing
participation will also require emphasis on the social, cultural and community
issues around information and communication behaviour and skills which
extends beyond facilitating participation through the provision of the physical
and technical infrastructure. The success of e-government will also require a
population who are not only ICT literate but information literate in the broader
sense outlined.