The First Step is the Hardest: Finding Connections in Media Literacy Education

Abstract

Through a series of focus groups, this study explores how students, at the conclusion of a university-level media literacy course, see media's necessary role in democratic society. It is a narrative inspired by the core belief of the media literacy discipline that if people are effectively taught the critical skills to access, evaluate, analyze, and produce media 1 they will better understand media's roles and responsibilities in civic life. Initial findings show that while media literacy may indeed enable for critical analysis skills, it carries the potential to breed cynical outcomes if not taught in a holistic manner. Introduction-Media Literacy and Healthy Skepticism In, UnSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation, Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson caution their readers to "be skeptical, but not cynical when consuming media": The skeptic demands evidence, and rightly so. The cynic assumes that what he or she is being told is false. Cynicism is a form of gullibility-the cynic rejects facts without evidence, just as the naïve person accepts facts without evidence. And deception born of cynicism can be just as costly or potentially as dangerous to health and well-being as any other form of deception. 2 The promotion of healthy skepticism-consistent inquiry concerning how media portrays cultural, social, political and economic issues, 3 coupled with a general understanding of the media's role in civil and democratic society 4-is at the center of media literate learning outcomes. Media literate individuals, it is often purported, should be open to different ideas, demand evidence for certain claims, and approach information with a keen sense of interest, independence , and awareness. In this sense, if media literacy is to enable a healthy skepticism towards media and information, it must not only teach the skills of critical analysis, but also teach how those skills are purposed around modes of general inquiry. 5 This centers on making media literacy purposive by highlighting the connections between media analysis and a nuanced understanding of media's role in community, civic life, and democratic society. 6 Despite the general aim to enable such learning outcomes, few inquiries on any level of education have explored how such outcomes are attained, and what attributes "media literate" individuals should embody. 7 Exploring the outcomes of media literacy initiatives can offer insight as to how students express their thoughts about media and its role in their lives at the conclusion of a media literacy lesson, course, or curriculum. Furthermore, data on media literacy learning experiences may also help educators better understand the connections between media literacy and attitudes towards the media environment in an information age.