Media is an integral part of our daily life. We all are living in a Wi-Fi-free zone, which allows us to access it anywhere and anytime. Hence, Excessive use of media may cause harm to us.  It has inevitable, that it has advantages and also some harmful effects on our life. Hence, Media literacy education should be provided to all. Media literacy signifies identifying and accessing the privilege of media and rejecting the harmful impact of media. 

What is Media? 

Media means mass communication through radio, television, newspaper, magazine, and the internet that provides information and influences a large number of people.

Why is Media Necessary for us?

It’s difficult to imagine living a single minute without media. It’s become an essential part of everyone’s life. It influences our life, society, and culture. Media is helpful to provide the latest news, information, knowledge of different things, and entertainment as well. It is helpful for a layman as well as a teacher, professor, and students extensively. Media is very much helpful to provide notes and clear doubts of the students related to different subjects and events. The students who couldn’t go outside to study or prepare for any government examination are able to crack the exam with the help of the media.  Media is responsible to nurture our future and can have the power to destroy our future as well. Hence, media literacy education is a necessary part of our life today.

What is Media Literacy Education?

Media Literacy means the ability to analyze, evaluate and access the media in a proper way without providing any harm to society and individuals. Media literacy Education develops a sense of wisdom to judge between fake and real stories and information in Media. Everyone should know the importance of media literacy.

Media Literacy is Needed For Whom?

Media is very much sensitive and influential in communication.  It’s effortless to access media from any place in the world and by everyone. All people including children to aged people are all addicted to the media nowadays. So media literacy education is very much needed for everyone.  

Why Media Literacy Education is Needed?

Whatever you find in the media all those things are framed and constructed by some people.  As our Children are very much influenced by vlogs by different people. All those vlogs, news, reality show, etc are made by a few people to attract an audience. Media Literacy education makes them aware of differentiating between true and fake media.

• All the media content is made for a certain targeted group. All the vlogs, news channels, and different talk shows are framed for a certain age group of people. They just want to reach their targeted group.
• People who constructed videos or vlogs on media for financial benefits.  No one will spend time entertaining others without any monetary benefit.  So all those media working for some financial benefits.
• Information in media can be interpreted by different people differently. Some people just use it as entertainment, some people believe in it and act accordingly, and some people are hurt as well. The same media message is taken by people as per their level of perception.
• Some time media spread stereotypical thoughts, discrimination, and communalism through a different program. This type of thought can hurt a mass of people and may lead to riots among people.
• Media may be responsible for misinformation and disinformation to the people. During the time of Covid-19, few people died to consume Sanitizers, because, they heard from the media that sanitizer has some quantity of Alcohol.
• Elders should aware of the importance of media literacy for their children. Children are the most vulnerable creature in the vast ocean of the internet and media. Because they are unable to differentiate between right and wrong information. They grasp everything and it may create misconceptions in their mind.

How to become Media Literate

• Understand and analyze the media before accessing it.
• Evaluate the media before believing in it. Try to find out the authentication of the information and who and for whom it was constructed i
• Cross-check the media sources and website. Trustworthy sources always provide authenticate  and bias-free information
• Whenever you go through any piece of information try to find out the evidence of its creditability and compare it with other sources to find our truthfulness.
• Whenever you go through any message/ information/ news on Media, try to find out the motive, and agenda behind it.
• People should be self empower to understand and know that, they should circulate constructive and healthy information/ stories through media.
• Whenever, you search for anything on the internet, to find out the authentic source, click on the three dots. It provides you the information about the source and the link to the source with feedback. 

Whenever you go through any information/ story on Media ask the following questions:

1. Who made this?
2. Why was this made?
3. Who paid for this?
4. Who might be benefitted from this?
5. How does this make me feel?
6. How should I participate in it as a responsible citizen?

 What are the Benefits of Media Literacy Education?

• Media literacy can help people to grasp the true information and use it in the proper way.
• Media Literacy can help people identify misinformation and disinformation cases.
• Media-literate people are very much aware of fake information and real information and they also know how to report fake information.
• Media-literate people never follow biased information and always use the information in a positive direction.
• Media literate persons have ideas to access the internet in a proper way such as for educational purposes not only for entertainment.
• Media literacy helps us to identify the significant role of Media in our life and society.

 Should Media Literacy include as a School Subject?

People must attentive to the importance of Media Literacy in School Education. Media has been engulfing the whole world so that we can’t escape from it. School children are more vulnerable among all, so Media literacy must be included in school subjects in higher secondary.

• To understand the media and its meaningful use in the field of education, students should aware of the advantages and disadvantages of media. So Media literacy is necessary.
• Students must learn how to analyze and evaluate information /news/stories on Media. It helps them to comprehend the true motive of any information and develop critical thinking among students.
• Media literacy aware the students of the goal and target of any information and story on Media.
• Media literacy makes the students more responsible towards society and understands the difference between bias and reality. Moreover, they can understand how to react to Media or where they should stay calm.
• Media Literacy makes them accountable and conscious to construct educative and friendly videos/stories on Media. They will aware of their own surrounding and society and they could understand Media could hurt people emotionally.

Final Word

As we all are living in digital India and we all are moving forward to achieve something noteworthy in life and to do something meaning full for our society. Hence, we have to keep pace with the world and have to be competent in all fields without any type of bias; we have to be Media Literate. Media literacy education ignites our conscience and helps to identify acceptable, ingenuous information and truthful information for ourselves and for our society as well.

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