{"id":13417,"date":"2021-07-06T11:15:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T03:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rakansarawak.com\/v3\/?p=13417"},"modified":"2021-07-06T11:55:15","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T03:55:15","slug":"ability-to-navigate-the-media-landscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rakansarawak.com\/v3\/2021\/07\/06\/ability-to-navigate-the-media-landscape\/","title":{"rendered":"Ability to Navigate The Media Landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At a time when people are finding it difficult to distinguish what is true and what is not from an avalanche of information on the Internet, there is a greater need to possess the fundamentals of media literacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being media literate means having the ability to navigate the media landscape \u2013 accessing, analysing, evaluating, creating and acting on different forms of mediums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They include television, radio, newspapers, magazines, music, video games, social media, advertising, text messages, memes, viral videos and many more. In today\u2019s environment, we are constantly surrounded by media \u2013 and we tend to consume them passively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media literacy has a history that dates back long before the Internet and has adapted and changed all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the birth of mass media, where only the rich or fortunate ones had access to materials for reading and writing, questions on media literacy concerned who was literate, what information could be gained and how it could be obtained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the emergence of printed media beginning the late 15th<\/sup> century, recordings from the late 19th<\/sup> century, cinema, radio, television and the Internet in the 20th<\/sup> century, and mobile phones at the start of the 21st<\/sup> century, the focus shifted to analysing and evaluating this overwhelming amount of media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, for as long as there is a new type of media technology, discussions and fears over its effect on people are bound to take place, making media literacy a perpetually evolving subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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News literacy equips us with the skills required to navigate the increasingly complex news media<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is common among all these media is that they are created by various kinds of people or groups for a wide range of purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With media literacy skills, one will be able to comprehend the message behind the media \u2013 the credibility and intent of the creators, as well as how different media platforms can impact our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of media literacy is digital literacy \u2013 a set of skills needed to use digital media, such as knowing how to access the Internet, how to use social media carefully and how to avoid becoming addicted to mobile devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another, and especially important one in the age of \u2018fake news\u2019, is news literacy. It comprises a set of skills that can help navigate news media, including identifying reliable information, sharing news responsibly, and avoiding the \u2018filter bubble\u2019 of similar-minded individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These literacies and media literacy as a whole are necessary to have among children and adults for many reasons. Some of which, according to American non-profit organisation Common Sense Media<\/a>, include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n