Media Literacy is all about questioning what is being posted (Smith, 5:22-5:31). Who is the targeted audience? Who is the sender? What is the intent or motivation behind the post? (Smith, 5:22-5:31). Individuals who are active in media literacy understand that there are countless amounts of sources of information, and there is a difference between factual information and fake news or conspiracies. When I think of the difference between fake news and actual facts I think of anything to do with COVID-19. When you google COVID an insane amount of links pop up whether it is from the BC Centre for Disease Control with true information or “Covid isn’t real” Youtube videos from random people all over the world. This can cause conflict as people are unsure of what to believe. I also think open dialogue about media literacy can cause conflict because people do not like to be questioned and that is what media literacy is based around.
If I were an important person and I had a critical public audience on my social media I would engage with media literacy. I would question everything I wanted to post before I posted it. Who am I targeting with this post? What message am I trying to get across to my followers? There is a benefit to having a Personal Learning Network that values media literacy as you are able to be more aware of what you are posting. Social media in the public eye is a slippery slope. Especially those who are public figures or a person in a position of trust. They have to be extra careful about what they post and they need to understand whatever they post will stay online. I think of a lot of Youtubers and TikTokers who engage with their fans on social media, and so many of them have been “canceled” meaning people hate on them for something they post. All it takes is one thing that they do not think about before they post and they are done. I would want to have a team of people to ask if something is okay to post before I post it if I was in the public eye. Although there are quite a few risks with engaging with a public audience in a media space there are also some benefits. In regards to the past election as Julie Smith briefly touched on in her interview, both Donald Trump and Joe Biden used their presence on social media to get people to vote for them. Social media was the fastest way for them to get their points across to millions of people all over the world. Social media is a great way to reach a targeted audience fast.
People will receive backlash and negative comments no matter what though. You can’t please everyone and you will not be liked by everyone. This goes for both real lives and on social media. I slowly started to learn this as I moved past high school. Jody Vance in her interview talked about when she became a sports broadcaster that she just had to accept that not everyone will want to get their sports news from a female. She also notes that it is harder to have connections with people when it is over LinkedIn. The greatest connection happens when she is face to face in a classroom rather than looking at the camera on her laptop (Vance, 18:11-18:26). I think this also goes hand in hand with people having negative things to say. It is easier for anyone to sit behind a computer screen and leave a negative comment versus sitting in that classroom and saying something mean to her face.
Overall, media literacy is a great tool to use for a Personal Learning Network. You are able to use media literacy to ask questions and understand what is fake and what is not. You are also able to have multiple sources at the tip of your fingers as long as you understand that not all of it is true, it can be very useful to have multiple opinions about something from all over the world as it gives you the ability to create your own opinion.
Sources-
Kelion, David Molloy & Leo. “Coronavirus: Call for Apps to Get Fake Covid-19 News Button.” BBC News, BBC, 8 Apr. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/technology-52157202. (image)
Smith, Julie. “EDCI 338 – MEDIA LITERACY with JULIE SMITH.” Youtube, uploaded by MILLER, 6 June 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57r3-aEnci0&ab_channel=MILLER
Vance, Jody. “Jody Vance – Media Voices.” Youtube, uploaded by MILLER, 6 June 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-NnpQJdl0A&ab_channel=MILLER
Weintraub, Karen. “‘Fake News’ Web Sites May Not Have a Major Effect on Elections.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 2 Mar. 2020, www.scientificamerican.com/article/fake-news-web-sites-may-not-have-a-major-effect-on-elections/. (image)
