Background material for teachers

Three dimensions of developing media literacy

1. The first dimension: judgment of media

Judgment of media may be summed up in the ancient Greek verb Κρίνειν (krinein), which originally meant “to distinguish” and referred to the permanent acquisition and reflexivity of knowledge and experience.

Media judgment is media analysis. This analytic sub-dimension refers to the competence to perceive and understand developments in society, such as the process of concentration within the media business that may jeopardise the function of media in a democratic society. In this example, it is important to know who owns which newspaper and how many types of media are owned by the same Company However, we should not forget that media are run as commercial enterprises that must yield a profit. And whether we like it or not, the more interdependent and globalised our lives become, the more we need to rely on media. Media analysis enables us to judge media developments critically – to make distinctions – so that we can adequately make use our of media literacy.

The (seif-) reflexive sub-dimension means that we should be able to link and apply our analytical potential and knowledge to ourselves and our personal sphere of action. Particularly when dealing with media, we have a streng tendency to talk about “the others” and to ignore our personal involvement.

The capability to analyse and reflect includes a third sub-dimension, ethical concern for others, that balances and defines analytical thinking and self-reflexiveness in terms of social responsibility.

2. The second dimension: knowledge about media

Here we refer to the “pure” knowledge about media and media systems. This can be divided into two sub-dimensions.

The sub-dimension of Information includes basic knowledge such as how journalists go about their work, the types of programmes that are broadcast by TV and radio, the reasons for a viewer’s preferences when watching TV and how a computer can be used so that it effectively serves the user’s needs.

The sub-dimension of skills adds to media knowledge the ability to use new equipment without having to read the instruction manuals. This includes the process of “learning by doing” – how to handle a computer, how to access the Internet, how to use a video camera, etc.

3. The third dimension: use of the media

Use of the media may also be divided into two sub-dimensions:

1. Competence in using media products, that is, in receiving and consuming what the media have produced. Watching TV is an example of this. It is an activity during which we need to process what we have seen, and to integrate it into our cognitive structures and our repertoire of imagery. Today, we can enhance our receptive competence not only through reading texts, but also through watching films.
2. Active use of media equipment. This sub-dimension refers to media use in social interaction. Examples are telebanking, teleshopping, video and telephone Conferences, traditional and digital photography and video production. The enormous variety of media available gives us the potential to perceive the world not only by receiving Information, but also by producing it.

The unit on media focuses on precisely this active use of the media, but includes links to the other two dimensions of media education mentioned above.