Module 1 Introduction to Media and Information Literacy

The Danger of Desensitization

“The physiological and psychological tendency (automaticity) towards the many

information that are encountered every now and then.“ (Potter, 2011)

Automaticity, or automatic response, is “a state where are minds operate without any
conscious effort from us”. In other words, you become so desensitized with the things you
encountered because they already seemed so natural to you.

Potter also explained that “the programmed and predictable response (normalization)
toward the information that limits your opportunity to recognize and maximize gains of the
message” is something that media and information and literacy can address. Normalization is
when “the mass media continually reinforce certain behavioural patterns of exposure until
they become automatic habits.”

According to Callison and Tilley (2006), you are a media and information literate
individual if you are able to do the following:

• Pose worthwhile questions

• Evaluate the adequacy of an argument
• Recognize facts, inferences, and opinions and use appropriately
• Deal with quandaries and ill-formed problems that have no fixed or unique
solutions
• Give and receive criticism constructively
• Agree or disagree in degrees measured against the merits of the issue and the
audience
• Extend a line of thought beyond the range of first impressions
• Articulate a complex position without adding to its complexity

What It Takes To Be Media and Information Literate

2 factors that can influence you to become a media and information literate individual:
~clarifying your goals and motivations for seeking information
~acquiring more skills in discerning, appreciating, and filtering information.

Jeric Bryle A. Adlawan XI- Angel Michael

 Module 1 Introduction to Media and Information Literacy

Critical Thinking: An Important Component of MIL

You must display the ability to evaluate the kind of information you access and share. The
ability is known as critical thinking. Being critical means being capable of judging the merit
of something based on certain standards or parameters. According to media scholar Art
Silverblatt, there are eight fundamental elements of media literacy:

1. A critical thinking skill enabling audience members to develop independent

judgements about media content
2. An understanding of the process of mass communication
3. An awareness of the impact of media on the individual and society
4. Strategies for analysing and discussing media messages
5. An understanding of media content as a text that provides insights into our
culture and our lives
6. The ability to enjoy, understand, and appreciate media context
7. Development of effective and responsible production skills
8. An understanding of the ethical and moral obligations of media practitioners

The media literate person is in control of his or her media experiences because he or she
understands the basic conventions of various media and enjoys their uses in a deliberately
conscious manner. The media literate person understands the impact of music and special
effects, for example, in heightening the drama of a television programme or film however,
this recognition does not lessen the enjoyment of the action.

Andrea Danica S. Angco XI Angel Michael

 Module 1 Introduction to Media and Information Literacy

Typology of Media Literacy

Acquiring Fundamentals
• Learning that there are human beings and other physical things apart from one’s
self; these things look different and serve different functions
• Learning the meaning the facial expressions and natural sounds
• Recognizing shapes, forms, size, colour, movement, and spatial relations
• Recognizing rudimentary concept of time-regular pattern

Language Acquisition
• Recognizing speech sounds and attach meaning to them
• Being able to reproduce speech sounds
• Orienting to visual and audio media
• Making emotional and behavioural responses to music and sounds
• Recognizing certain characters in visual media and follow their movement

Narrative Acquisition
• Developing understanding of differences between
• Fictions vs. nonfiction
 Ads vs. entertainment
 Real vs. make-believe
• Understanding how to connect plot elements
 By time sequencing
 By motive-action-consequence

Developing Skepticism
• Discounting claims made in ads
• Sharpening differences between likes and dislikes for shows, characters, and
actions
 Intensive Development
• Strongly motivated to seek out information on certain topics
• Developing a detailed set of information on particular topics (sports, politics, etc.)
• Has high awareness of utility of information and quick facility in processing
information judged to be useful

Experiential Exploring
• Seeking out different forms of content and narratives
• Focusing on searching for surprises and new emotional, moral, and aesthetic
reactions

Critical Appreciation
• Accepting message on their own terms, then evaluating them within that sphere
• Developing very broad and detailed understanding of the historical, economic,
political, and artistic contexts of message systems
• Ability to make subtle comparisons and contrasts among many different message
elements simultaneously
• Ability to construct a summary judgement about the overall strength and
weaknesses off a message

Social Responsibility
• Taking a moral stand that certain messages are more constructive for others; this
is a multidimensional perspective based on through analyses of the media
landscape
• Recognizing that one’s own individual decisions affect society – no matter how
minutely
• Recognizing that there some actions an individual can take to make a constructive
impact on society

Princess Shimchun T. Balquin XI Angel Michael