The commandments of media education – 02/06/2023 – Education

Much time has been devoted to mapping the media phenomena that afflict us, such as fake news and other types of misinformation, hate speech, amplification of prejudices from messages that circulate quickly on the internet, lack of representation in the media and many others. But we rarely talk clearly and objectively about the basic set of skills and tools that help us face such a scenario at any age and context.

Understanding media education as this broad “toolkit” —which prepares us to deal with information reflectively, responsibly and safely throughout our lives— was the keynote of an event that brought together important national and international references in the area on the 25th of May in São Paulo.

“The purpose of media education is to help people of all ages develop the habit of questioning (information) and the expressive skills needed to be critical thinkers, effective communicators and active citizens,” said Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, Director- executive at Namle. “It’s a broad umbrella when it comes to empowerment, engagement and participation.”

Namle (National Association for Media Literacy Education) is the main industry association in the United States and has been active since 1997 in promoting media education. With more than 8,000 members, Namle has influence beyond North American borders, primarily through its work of “smashing down” the fundamental principles of media education.

Initially defined in 2007, the principles were updated this year and serve as an important lighthouse for those dedicated to the subject. Among the 10 newly announced principles is the idea that maintaining a healthy media environment from the point of view of the common good is a shared responsibility between media and technology companies, governments and citizens.

For Namle, media education leads society to recognize its own biases, understanding that we all use our history, skills and pre-existing beliefs to give meaning to the experiences we live through the media. It also recognizes that media institutions influence and are influenced by systems of power, with implications for equity, inclusion, social justice and sustainability.

We are so immersed in an environment of superabundance of information that we often do not realize how it shapes our worldview and guides our decisions. This is no small feat —and that is why media education proposes expanding the very concept of literacy, incorporating new media formats and multiple skills to form more aware consumers and content producers.

“Media literacy isn’t something you teach in a lesson. It’s a series of small steps that takes people on a journey of empowerment to become active citizens,” said Michelle.

From an approach more focused on protection against violence in the 1970s, media education has been incorporating new themes since then. This is a cycle that cannot stop and, although media education is not the silver bullet for all ills, it is an essential ingredient in the set of public policies, business and civil society projects, as well as individual actions, which need to combine in favor of a healthier informational environment.