Today's youth and the media

Now, when most people think of the word "media" they usually assume television. That's what happened when my friends and I sat down and actually started talking about the media and what our assumptions and our viewpoints on the matter was. Having started the semester with a media literacy lesson, I was waiting to see what everyone else thought media literacy meant. We had the television going on in the background and for every 15-20 minutes worth of a show you had about 5-7 minutes worth of commercials . . . and depending on which channel you were watching and what time it was, the commercials differed.
"That's just good marketing," said an advertising major.
"But it isn't advertising anything that is needed," said a family science major. "It's just showing kids what the marketers want them to pressure their parents into buying."
"Children are the best marketing tools we have," said the advertising major.
"But children and teens are still impressionable," I said. "Media has a huge effect on how we think and how we act/teach."
I got a few raised eyebrows at that, but most agreed with me.

Media literacy allows people to interact with different media in constructive and thoughtful ways. Daniel Rossi, a director of Satellite Academy says "the reality is that our kids are in constant contact with the media. Their opinions–about violence, about commercialism, about issues of race and gender–are often developed as a result of the media images around them, but many aren't even aware of it until they slow down and analyze the process." My friend in the family science major said that children, on average, spend 5 hours every day watching television yet there isn't a lot of discussion between those children and their parents on what they are watching and how it relates to things going on in today's society or even within their home.

Media affects our values and behaviors. Media is about to affect us on a subconscious level. Cable in the Classroom has been a huge supporter of media literacy and has recently stated that: "Our attitudes towards work, school, government, and family can all be influenced by media. Each story, whether fact or fiction, reflects underlying values about who or what is important. if women or minorities are consistently portrayed as lacking power and authority, impressionable young viewers may absorb that message. If scenes with smoking, drinking, violence, or casual sex are repeatedly shown, young people may believe these behaviors are normal and appropriate. on the other hand, highlighting our shared values can bring us together in times of trouble." They have also suggested five things that everyone should know about media:

1. all media messages are constructions
2. each person interprets messages differently
3. media have commercial interests
4. media have values
5. each medium has its own language and style

By discussing images–whether moving or just a still image–with students we can try and allow students an environment that they can express how a certain commercial, image, or clip makes them feel and what that media is actually trying to say to them.