Being media literate

by Editor · August 29, 2007

In his message for World Communications Day this year, Pope Benedict calls on parents, schools and the Church to provide young people with a sound formation which will empower them to make informed choices about what media they consume, and to be conscious of the noxious effects of some of these.

The pope does not use the word, but what he is calling for is media literacy: the capacity of discernment when we use media, the awareness of when media try to manipulate us, and the consciousness of how media influence us.

The concept of media is becoming ever broader. The Internet and cellular revolution of the past decade or so has given people unprecedented access to information, entertainment and, crucially, influences. Media literacy is an essential tool in navigating the minefield of the good, the bad and the innocuous.

It isn�t difficult to attain an operative level of media literacy. Indeed, to some extent we are already media literate when we decline to watch certain types of TV programmes because their content is enfeebling or morally objectionable. Our ability to discriminate wisely is a pivotal form of media literacy. Another is the ability to interpret the media we consume against the background of our set of ethics.

When the pope encourages the adult socialising agents of young people to impart the gift of media literacy, he is careful to avoid the use of random proscription. Instead, he encourages young people to exercise their freedom in making conscientious choices when using media (of course, sometimes banning minors from accessing certain kinds of material, such as pornography, is necessary).

It serves no good to ban a youngster from listening to objectionable music when parents have no control over what their offspring may hear when with their peers, never mind random exposure to it on television or radio. The pope�s way suggests that parents (or other formative adults) are better served by discussing with their children why such music is objectionable and�importantly�try to ensure that the objectionable values in that music are not internalised.

Indeed, by helping young people to analyse problematic media in open dialogue, parents, teachers and catechists can let young people define their own objections, which they in turn can then present to their peers.

At the same time, the pope suggests, alternative forms of art may be introduced. The pope, a Mozart fan, has in mind classical music and classic literature; for most families, counterbalancing 50 Cent with Stevie Wonder, and violent blockbusters with It�s A Wonderful Life may be a more promising alternative.

There was a time when moral virtues were regulated and enforced by society, largely unadulterated by notions of choice in personal morality. These days are gone, in part owing to a rebellion against that prescribed morality, at least in Western society. Morality has become increasingly relative, even among Catholics. This is a development of great concern to Pope Benedict.

There is, however, one upside to the culture of selective morality: those who choose virtuous values do so of their own free will, knowing that they have access to alternative lifestyles which are now more acceptable to society. Their set of ethics, arrived at by free choice and not by a need to conform to societal expectations, is likely to be stronger and more committed than a morality that is perceived as imposed.

Such young people�who can be said to be nonconformists in a permissive society�are certain to influence their peers by force of their counter-cultural choices, thus standing up to the negative messages emanating from some media.

These young people may well listen to gangsta rap or watch questionable movies, for they are not divorced from society�but they also tend to be media literate, immunising them from negative influences.