NOTES ON MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY (9/8/2023 WEEK 1)

THE EVOLUTION OF MEDIA

Prehistoric Age (1500 B.C. - 1500 A.D.)

● Age where recorded history was not very prevalent.
● In the Philippines, despite access to a writing system in Baybayin, history is still
transmitted through oral traditions like: Bugtong (Riddles), Songs, and Poems due to the
difficulty of finding material to write on.
● Baybayin is commonly written on stone and wood.

Historical Age (3500 B.C. - 1600s)

● Called historical age because recording history became a common practice as writing
systems and materials proliferated.
● Invention of the first printing press in China using wooden blocks (220 AD)

Industrial Age (1700s-1930s)

● Coal and steam power lead to the development of factories and machines.
● Less reliance on hand tools and manual labor for certain tasks.
● Steam engines paved the way for mass transportation and greater specialization.
● Telegraph invented in 1837. (Telegram is the message, Telegraph is the device.)
● Power looms were also invented during this period, increasing the speed of textile
production.

Electronic Age (1930s -1980s)

● Called the electronic age due to the presence and usage of electricity.
● Differentiated from industrial due to the difference in machinery.
● Improvements to machinery and adaptation to electricity as a power source.
● Transistor Radio invented in 1954.
● Television became more popular in the 1940s, but was actually developed in 1927 and
used vacuum tubes.

Information Age (1970s - 2000s+)

● Upgrades to electronic age
● Popularization and miniaturization of the personal computer.
● Expansion and adoption of the internet for consumer use (internet initially developed as
a military network for the United States DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency.
HOW MEDIA IS CATEGORIZED

Category Example

Modality (Presentation) Text, Audio, Video, Graphics, Animation,etc.

Format Digital or Analog

Way of Transmission Electromagnetic waves, radio waves, light

waves

Mass media form TV, radio, print, internet, telephone, or

mobile.

TWO MAIN TYPES OF MEDIA

Traditional Media New Media

One-directional More interactive/Audience more involved

Experience is limited Can get feedback simultaneously

Specific set of receptors (eyes Integrates all aspects of traditional media.

only, ears only, eyes and ears Encompasses traditional.
only.)

Print ads, billboards, TV shows Social Media apps, banners, targeted

ads, phone notifications.

4 Main Categories of NEW MEDIA

Category Example

Interpersonal Communication Media Telephone, Email, Chat

Interactive Play Media Video Games, Virtual Reality (VR)

Information Search Media Repositories, Databases, Search Engines,

Web Encyclopedias

Collective Participation Media Forums, Community sites, blog posts,

Podcasts, Collabs.
KEY TERMS

Information
Facts and knowledge obtained through study, investigation, or instruction.

Technology
Practical application of knowledge.
It does not matter if the application is not high-tech, things like plows (pang-araro) still
count as technology.
Literacy
In terms of language: ability to read and write.
In terms of other fields: competence and expertise.

Media Literacy
Ability to ACCESS, ANALYZE, and RESPOND to MEDIA.
ACCESS
Knowledge of where to find media.
Having access to the internet and knowledge of where to look for media.
(Ex: Knowing which websites to go to for specific information like
YouTube for video tutorials.)
ANALYZE
Ability to think critically and understand the media you just accessed.

RESPOND
Reacting and experiencing media.
Not limited to emotions, feelings, or facial expressions.
Actions such as dancing also count as responses.

Technology Literacy
Ability to EFFECTIVELY use devices and technological tools to accomplish tasks and
goals.
Expertise with using phones, computer software and hardware.

Information Literacy
MANAGING, GATHERING, and VERIFYING information.
Being able to know if the information given to you is TRUE or FALSE.

Media and Information Literacy

Combination of information literacy, technology literacy, and media literacy to have a
complete understanding of how we communicate in the digital space.

[ MIL is important because the information age we live in is SATURATED with

information where a lot of people have access to the internet and can publish their
own posts which may or may not be true. ]
MEDIA BIAS
Unavoidable because we all have our preferences.
Media can have hidden agendas.

WHAT WE NEED TO BE MEDIA LITERATE INDIVIDUALS

Having clear goals for seeking information
Knowing what you need

Example: I want to learn digital illustration so I searched for tutorials on YouTube.

Having the skill to discern, appreciate, and filter information.

Example: I want to learn digital illustration so I searched on YouTube for tutorials.

I found a lot of tutorials, but ended up choosing Naoki Saito’s tutorials because
he is a successful artist who worked on games like Dragalia Lost.

SKILLS REQUIRED FOR MEDIA LITERACY

● Critical thinking.
● Understanding of the Process of Mass Communication.
● Awareness of the impact of media on society.
● The ability to enjoy, understand, and appreciate messages.
● Development of effective and responsible production skills.
● Understanding the ethical and moral obligations of media practitioners.
NORMATIVE THEORIES OF THE PRESS
● Created by Fred Siebert, Theodore Peterson, and Wilbur Schramm.
● Concerned with the Relationship between AUTHORITY and the PRESS.
● How PRESS affects the PEOPLE
● Types
○ AUTHORITARIAN
○ COMMUNIST
○ LIBERTARIAN
○ SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

NORMATIVE DESCRIPTION ADVANTAGE DISADVANTAGES

THEORY

Authoritarian ● Power to censor private media ● Easier to deal with ● Treats citizens as
● Has privately owned media. conflicts since the stupid.
● Government overpowers the government has final say. ● Freedom of
media. ● Media cannot be expression is attacked
● Prioritizes STATE STABILITY IRRESPONSIBLE
over INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS WITHOUT RISKING
CENSORSHIP

Communist ● Media is part of the state ● Accepts criticism (but ● Treats citizens as
● Publicly owned media only small parts of the stupid.
● Supposed to have equal system.) ● Success dependent
resource sharing, but ends up on the quality of
with government leaders being leaders
more powerful than the people.

Libertarian ● Free press ● Information freedom ● Too many opinions

● Press/media acts as watchdog ● Everyone can express and contrasting ideas
to authority their opinions lead to conflict and
● Privately owned media ● Transparency disagreement
● Pluralist mentality (showing ● Check-and-balance to ● Media can be
both sides to the story) prevent corruption irresponsible (Libel,
● Government cannot censor or ● Functions with Slander, Defamation,
suppress the media. democracy Sedition, etc.)
● Rich have more
power

Social ● Governed by ETHICS ● Accepts public opinion ● Ethics is vague

Responsibility ● Do no harm and works for the citizens ● Morality is subjective
● Maintain democracy ● No monopoly on rules ● Laws can contradict
● Public Participation ● Media serves public social responsibility
● Self-regulation interest
● Responsible Journalism ● Marginalized can offer
their own voice
INFORMATION DISORDER
Refers to the many ways our information environment is polluted – content is fake, used
out of context, or weaponized to attack certain individuals or groups of people

CATEGORIES OF DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE

INFORMATION DISORDER

Misinformation Refers to sharing information Rumors, insults, pranks,

that is false, but the person sharing fake news without
sharing it thinks it is true. knowing it is fake.
.

Disinformation Sharing false information with Creating and sharing hoaxes,

the INTENT TO DECEIVE. scams, pretending to be
official channels.

Malinformation Using TRUTH or REALITY to Revenge porn, doxxing,

HARM. leaking private information to
the public

[ VERY IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE: Revenge porn and leaking nudes to the

public constitutes voyeurism under RA 9995 and is punishable with at least
3 years in prison and a minimum of PHP 100,000.00 fine. ]

Leaking non-consensual nudes online also makes it a cybercrime which makes punishments for
such acts WORSE due to the added element of publicity.

Sending and sharing nudes, making your own pornography is legally acceptable as long as
there is CONSENT. Take precautions by password protecting your sensitive information and
using secure channels should you choose to do so. (Example: There are password options for
RAR and ZIP files and folder locks for phones.)