Digital and Media Literacy

 

    Media and technology have been are still becoming a vital part of our entire lives. It is important that we know and understands how to use it properly and in a way, to our advantage. We use media every day like newspapers, social media, the news, and television. We carry media around with us daily and it is a part of our life. Digital and media literacy is important due to the fact that we may need guidance through the media world. Although digital and media literacy falls very closely under the same category, they are slightly different. 

    According to Microsoft, "Digital literacy is the ability to navigate our digital world using reading, writing, technical skills, and critical thinking. It's using technology---like a smartphone, PC, e-reader, and more---to find, evaluate, and communicate information." Digital literacy plays a large part in our communities helping us engage and learn from each other. Examples of digital literacy include checking emails on your phone, using the internet to search for answers to a question, using online sources to help you complete a paper or research project, and creating a personal account on social media. Basic skills of digital literacy are being safe online, using a computer, navigating the internet, creating and editing online documents, communicating with others online, and paying for services and products online. 

    CML defines media literacy as something that "provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and participate with messages in a variety of forms--from print to video to the internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy." Media literacy in other words encompasses the skill level of communicating online. It requires skills such as critical thinking, understanding the process of mass communication, strategizing and analyzing, media insights that pertain to our culture, awareness of the impact that social media has on you as an individual and in society, allowing yourself to enjoy and appreciate media content, and development of responsible media skills. 

    Starting at a young age, television and smart pads are very common. When I was a child having things like Ipads and tablets was not a thing yet, we simply just had television to keep us company or were told to go outside and play. Now as soon as a kid can sit up on their own they are handed media at their fingertips. A child who is glued to a tablet these days is usually referred to as an "IPad kid". This slang word is considered a child who is constantly glued to their smart tablet and they usually will not behave unless they have this as a form of their entertainment. There is a lot of controversy about whether a child should be able to use this type of technology at such a young age. Some parents fear that this will cause children to not acquire the social skills that will help them develop as they grow up. Other parents use these devices as a learning skill for their children. Most apps made for children usually are filled with games that help children learn their colors, shapes, and the alphabet. In order to prevent your child from becoming an "IPad kid", it is smart to set boundaries and time limits on how much they get to use their tablet. Letting a child play learning games could benefit them during this developmental time but too much usage and they could become dependent on the technology. Up until a child is old enough to make their own decisions on how they choose to use the media, it is solely up to the parents to make this decision for them. 

    As a child gets into their teen years this could be a very grey area for decision making. Although parents are starting to let their children branch out and explore the media on their own, they may still need some guidance along the way. From the age of thirteen through sixteen you are growing and developing in many ways. It is very easy to make one wrong decision on social media that could take a turn for the worse. Encouraging your child to do their own research and educate themselves on the world around them and what media is all about is a great place to start. As teens get older they will realize the rights and wrongs of social media. Sadly, this is the age where children are bullied the most and also dumb enough to post about everyones business on social media. Some parents will even check their child's phones here and there to make sure they are not abusing their media privileges. My mother was one to encourage me to never post my feelings on social media no matter the situation because it was no one's business but my own. As I said, media at this age can be good or bad depending on how the teen decides to put it to use. 

    College-age and up is where you will get into the meat of media. You will start to experience media in every light. You will finally start getting interested in the news and what is going on in the world around us, social media is probably one of your main forms of communication with friends and family, and you will start to use the internet to your advantage. The internet is one of your best friends while in college and more than likely the best source you can use to help you through school. I would always go to my mom and explain to her that I was having trouble in school and she would simply tell me to use the internet because it has an answer for every question I will have. After her advice, she would go on about how lucky we are to have the internet at our fingertips because when she was in school they would have to go to the library and read numerous books if they needed more information. It is crazy to see how much media has progressed in a matter of twenty years. Today you can use media for anything you can think of like paying bills, sending emails, online ordering, and even the amount of jobs that are now available thanks to media. 

    Digital and media literacy is a beautiful thing in our world today and is definitely something we should take advantage of. We can use the media for any situation in life. Media and technology will continue to advance beyond our imagination. If we take a walk down memory lane it has not been that long since we upgraded from flip phones to smartphones in the last twenty or so years. Just imagine where we will be in twenty years from now.