WHY DO US STUDENTS NEED MEDIA LITERACY

Why Do U.S. Students Need Media Literacy?

Quick-- ask your students to name as many current heads of nations that they can think of. See how much they know about each of these leaders.

Now ask your students to name as many characters on Friends as they can think of, and to tell you all that they know about each character.

Which discussion will last longer? Which one will most of the students find more relevant and interesting?

Is it disturbing that today's students know way more about popular culture than they do about just abut any academic subject? Of course. But equally as disturbing is how ill-equipped students are for living in an environment that is saturated with the media. As far as many American students are concerned, media is "just entertainment. "They know little about who controls the media, how media products are made, what effects the media may have on the public, and how media socialize us.

Why don't kids learn more about the media in school? Actually, they do in much of the Western world, but not widely in the United States. Since as far back as the 1960s, countries such as Great Britain, Australia, and the Netherlands have implemented media literacy programs and courses into their schools at every level, from kindergarten through college. Media literacy initiatives exist in every state, but media literacy has yet to become a prevalent trend in U.S. education.

What is media literacy? Just as literacy is a skill that equips one to understand and communicate through language, media literacy is a skill that equips students to understand and communicate through media. Media literacy classes provide students with skills, tools, insights, and a vocabulary to understand the important role the media play in shaping, reflecting, and sometimes subverting our social realities. They often contain a production component so that students can understand firsthand the role of technology and production in shaping media messages. Topics in a media literacy course might include news production, media ownership, representations of women and minorities, Internet social forums, and violent video games.

Why isn't media literacy a mainstay of U.S. education, as it is elsewhere? The answer is complicated, but a major obstacle to media literacy is simply that Americans generally don't see the media as an important influence on our lives. With budget crises, testing, and the need to teach basic skills, many educators see media literacy as a waste of resources. But there are many compelling reasons to include media literacy programs in the schools.

The prevalence of media.

Students are so involved with the media. The average American watches between 24-28 hours of TV per week, and according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average U.S. child (ages 8-18) uses the media for about 44 hours per week. That's certainly more time than most students spend in class or doing their homework.

If media takes up so much time in kids' lives, how can media literacy be seen as a frivolous topic?

The power of media corporations.

Five corporations control over 90% of the media in the United States.That's down from 50 in 1983. Many Americans have no idea how much freedom corporations have to dictate the content of the media. Since powerful people control most of our media messages, so shouldn't we keep tabs on them the same way we keep tabs on other powerful people? A media literate student is a media literate citizen who knows the history of media ownership and can participate in public decisions and debates about who should control our information.


The prevalence of advertising.

There may not be media literacy programs in most middle and high schools, but there sure is advertising. Over the past two decades, schools have relied on advertising of all kinds to supplement their budgets. It's also become the norm for many schools to offer fast food from major corporations in their cafeterias. If we're going to inundate our schools with ads, then why not offer a course on the persuasive strategies of advertisers and the impact of advertising on our culture.

Media socializes

Messages do not jump out of televisions and computers and cause young people to commit violence or believe stereotypes. But that doesn't mean we're not affected strongly by the media in more indirect ways. Along with parents, peers, schools, and religious institutions, media consumption is one of the ways people learn about social norms and expectations. With all the time that students spend with the media, how could media not contribute to socialization?

Media literacy courses can help develop basic skills.

Of course students need to learn basic skills. But in a media-saturated world, why not incorporate media literacy into the teaching of those skills? There's nothing wrong with having children write about classic literature, but alongside that, why not let them write about a movie? Why not teach beginning readers to read using the Web, and at the same time teach them how to use the Internet?

Media literacy courses are relevant and fun for students.

Of course teachers need to expose kids to literature, history, and all kinds of things students might find boring. But if students spend so much time with the media, why not add it to the list of things students analyze? I should also add that media literacy classes are relevant and fun for teachers.