Media literacy is our ability to break down messages that the media shows us; it teaches how to find the true purpose of media overall. Media has been fabricated within our reality; from the sites on the internet we surf on to the radio broadcasts we listen to on the way to school, it encapsulates our lives as human beings.
Neil Postman tells us that we humans live in a media-enveloped environment, whether it be language, numbers, images or pictures. “The media environment, which consists of language, numbers, images, holograms, and all of the other symbols, techniques, and machinery that make us what we are,” (Postman).
Since we are always using media, it basically sums up who we are. The role Media literacy plays in our lives is vitally important since media is everywhere; it helps us pick and choose what media we want to view. I am always mingling with the media in my life. On my way to work, I encounter bus shelter advertisements about Koodo Mobile. On my way to school, I listen to the radio and whatever news is playing. When I get home, I watch my daily dose of television and every 10 minutes, a new commercial for a certain product bombards my vision. Since I am able to break down what each advertisement or podcast or what ever commercial is on the television (thanks to my knowledge of media literacy), I am able to find out what message they are trying to give me. I can follow up these messages with questions like:
A) Who tell us this message?
B) What are they trying to achieve?
C) What audience are they aiming at
D) What should I do?
E) What grabs my attention
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