Media is all around us at all times. Every screen we have is a source of information: from the big screen on your wall, to the small screen in your pocket. According to corparitech.com, “the average American spends 7 hours and 11 minutes looking at a screen every day” (CompariTech). We are more surrounded by media than ever. Simultaneously, public trust in media is falling … [Read more...] about Media in America… The Road Ahead of Us
Media Literacy
From practice to policy? What lies beneath
Can media literacy policy be developed to deliver social justice, to empower the most vulnerable subalterns so that they can feel represented? There are technological, ideological, and socio-political structures that govern media messages and this creates the paradox that media literacy cannot study what remains unarticulated. An upcoming virtual global summit holds the rich … [Read more...] about From practice to policy? What lies beneath
The Harm and Cost of What Misinformation/Fake News Is Doing to Us as a Nation
We live in a world with misinformation, and fake news exists and is at an all-time high. From social media to the internet as a whole, the number of people making fake accounts with false information to get views and money is rising rapidly. For example, on a website like Wikipedia, you can edit and put whatever information you want, and an unsuspecting visitor to that page … [Read more...] about The Harm and Cost of What Misinformation/Fake News Is Doing to Us as a Nation
The Happiness Effect: How Social Media Is Driving a Generation to Look Perfect at Any Cost
The Happiness Effect, written by Donna Freitas, is a book that dives into the effects social media has on the current generation and the image it is constantly trying to portray. Freitas does this by conducting multiple different interviews and surveys within different college campuses which seems like the heart of where your answers to social media effects and usage would come … [Read more...] about The Happiness Effect: How Social Media Is Driving a Generation to Look Perfect at Any Cost
Agents of Influence: Testing Our Educational Video Game
Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic changed our world forever, we at Alterea began to develop a spy-themed, educational, digital event called Agents of Influence. This event was designed as a week-long, interactive story meant to educate players about threats online. We launched our event in October of 2020 to help fight the “infodemic” that surrounded the presidential election … [Read more...] about Agents of Influence: Testing Our Educational Video Game
Book Review: Naomi Oreskes’ Why Trust Science?
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press) In her 2019 book, Why Trust Science?, history of science professor Naomi Oreskes does a wonderful job discussing the complexity of this question. She takes a difficult task and rather than simplify it, she dives deep into an exploration of the historical and philosophical roots and traditions of Western science, taking the reader … [Read more...] about Book Review: Naomi Oreskes’ Why Trust Science?
Lil Nas X
About a month or so ago, I got into a vehement argument with a good friend of mine. Our passionate conversation escalated quickly, and it reached a newfound intensity for most of our debates. And yet, the debate emerged from a very casual, unassuming subject: a music video. We discussed Rapper and Popstar Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call me by your name)” music video. In part, I … [Read more...] about Lil Nas X
René Magritte and Media Literacy
I do not believe that I would be farfetched in claiming that the Belgian Surrealist René Magritte’s painting The Treachery of Images(1928-1929) remains among the world’s most ubiquitous works of art. The image is familiar: a brown pipe with a black stem rests in front of a beige background. Magritte has given the pipe dimension: it curves smoothly and it seems to reflect an … [Read more...] about René Magritte and Media Literacy
My Introduction to Media Literacy
I first came across media literacy not as an advocate nor as a teacher but as a high school senior in 2017. My junior year of high school coincided with the 2016 Presidential election. Buzzwords like “fake news” and “disinformation” saturated the pixels on my computer screen, and questions about journalistic integrity and objectivity permeated the very ink of the articles I … [Read more...] about My Introduction to Media Literacy
Media Literacy, Security, and Youth Engagement with Global Current Affairs: The Case of Deterrence
This paper explores the relationship between media literacy, youth global engagement, storytelling, and contemporary security, using the case study of Deterrence, a web documentary in eight episodes co-created with students at Bournemouth University. The paper starts by making the case for factual, interdisciplinary knowledge as a pillar of media literacy. I argue that, … [Read more...] about Media Literacy, Security, and Youth Engagement with Global Current Affairs: The Case of Deterrence
Book Review: Why Trust Science?
Why Trust Science? by Naomi Oreskes (2019) Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press Download full article PDF >> In her latest book, Why Trust Science?, history of science professor Naomi Oreskes does a wonderful job discussing the complexity of this question. She takes a difficult task and rather than simplify it, she dives deep into an exploration of … [Read more...] about Book Review: Why Trust Science?
Briefing: Project Look Sharp’s Decoding Media Constructions and Substantiality
Abstract: This article explores how teachers can integrate the theory and practice of media literacy education into the teaching of sustainability content. It highlights two lessons, one for elementary students on bottled water choices and one for high school students on climate change and agriculture, detailing lesson construction and execution. The article explains how … [Read more...] about Briefing: Project Look Sharp’s Decoding Media Constructions and Substantiality
Coal’s Last Gasp, Its Resuscitation by the Media and the Habitus of NIMBY
Abstract: The shift away from coal to renewable energy for electricity generation is producing environmental benefits during the climate crisis but also poses uncertainty for coal producers and others along the coal supply chain. Media representations of the coal debate shape how citizens understand and respond to it. This commentary exposes how audiences – even of … [Read more...] about Coal’s Last Gasp, Its Resuscitation by the Media and the Habitus of NIMBY
Moving from STEM to MESH
Abstract: America is falling behind the rest of the world in science and math. There is, therefore, a renewed emphasis on STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). But while mastery of STEM subjects is essential to the functioning of society, we’ve neglected some other areas that are at least as important, if not more so. But without an equal commitment to … [Read more...] about Moving from STEM to MESH
Engaging with Things: Speculative Realism and Ecomedia Literacy Education
Abstract: In recent years, media scholars and educators have made an effort to address ecological issues in their work. Ecomedia literacy adapts the principles and practices of the media literacy movement in order to prepare the public to critically engage with the relationship between media and the environment. However, this article argues that the philosophical frameworks, on … [Read more...] about Engaging with Things: Speculative Realism and Ecomedia Literacy Education
