A Letter from the Editors
As we publish our first online issue of The Journal of Media Literacy, we are keenly aware that this is not just a change in format, but also an adaptation to an ever-changing media environment. It is part of the evolution of culture, suddenly greatly accelerated by unforeseen, indeed catastrophic events, yet inevitable if seen over the passage of time. A global crisis such as the pandemic we are experiencing right now, followed by the worldwide demonstrations for racial justice and systemic reform are exposing invisible problems that we have been living with for too long. The “new normal” which has disrupted the very nature of our daily lives is certainly making us reconsider and unravel some of the twisted normal we became accustomed to before. With the unprecedented extra time we now have at home to breathe and think, we have an opportunity to collaboratively imagine a new way forward toward a better world.
Through NTC’s 65-plus years of working to create a media literate, global society, we have long been familiar with this important concept of change, at the local and global level. It begins with the awareness of the ongoing adaptation to the changing environment in all living things, from the microscopic to the macroscopic. The study of Ecology, well known as a field in the study of nature, can also be applied to human adaptation, and in particular, we have been focused on education and the development of the child in an increasingly media saturated environment. We call it the Ecology of Childhood.
Marieli’s background in biology fueled her interest in the study of the interaction of evolving ecosystems and their impact on all living things within their changing environments. This eventually translated into the subject of her children and what constituted their world. It was a natural transition to think in terms of the Ecology of Childhood when she considered how new media were changing the environment of her children’s home. When a baby is born, he or she faces a very limited world of the mother, father, or maybe someone else. The mother is the first impression in the environment of a newborn baby. And then the child’s world grows and expands to the home, the neighborhood, churches and school. In a natural environment all this can progress at a pace commensurate with the child’s normal brain development. But today’s children enter into the new media world even at birth, faced with visual stimuli that are very strong. When you put a baby in front of television or other visual media, a whole new experience is there, one that exposes the young brain to stimuli that it is not yet prepared for. Much of the new brain research corroborates that media can stimulate new brain synapses; there are connections and adaptations made within each individual that impact the entire ecosystem of human culture.
As we were introduced to the concept of ecomedia literacy, we thought the connection was a natural fit for our journal and that prompted us to collaborate with The Journal of Sustainability Education, edited by Clare, and our invited guest editors, Antonio, Jeff, and Theresa. But in the process of collaboration, this group of scholars has expanded our understanding of the ecological perspective of media literacy beyond what we first imagined. They are calling for a paradigm shift to the very core of how we think. It must begin with an awareness of how the stories and metaphors we think with quite literally shape how we perceive the world. Media educators need to reframe the way we tell our story in terms of media’s ecological footprint – the physical impact of the structure of media on our environment – AND media’s ecological mindprint – belief systems and thought patterns that grow from how we spend our attention and focus. This will require a substantial shift from a mechanistic, industrial, consumerist worldview to an ecological, conserver perspective of our world, in which we see the interconnections of humans and nature as one and the same. Those of us working in media literacy education need to ask how we can ethically co-create a balanced, healthy relationship between media, society, and the environment.
We thank the editors and the contributing authors of this issue for the brave challenge they have set before us. With JML’s new digital format, we want the conversation to continue. You are looking at the first phase of our publication. In the second phase, we want responses, discussions, and works of inspiration from practitioners and students of all ages that evolve from the interaction with these articles. In the third phase, we hope to create a printed publication, showing the complete exploration of the theme and combining the best of the online collection. We want the work of these scholars to inspire you to interact, respond, and adapt within your own local environment. Share what you are thinking and doing with us so that we can see the incremental steps of change within the larger ecosystem of our world.
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