F.L.

Vargas College
Calog Sur, Abulug, Cagayan
Abulug Campus

GE 1A Purposive Communication
EVALUATING MESSAGES AND/OR IMAGES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXTS REFLECTING
DIFFERENT CULTURES
Learning objectives:
a. Analyze media messages and/or images using Key Concepts of Media Literacy framework.
b. Create a multimodal advertisement of a cause-oriented event.

WHAT ARE MEDIA MESSAGES?

Media messages contain information and ideas that are shared to a large audience of
people.
If these are not scrutinized properly, they may become agents of misinformation and
lead people to form wrong judgement and images on the subject of the wrongly presented
media message.
By critically evaluating media messages, we ensure that the ideas presented are
accurate, relevant and appropriate to be posted or shared with everyone.
“EVALUATING MESSAGES”

Why do we evaluate messages?

The importance of evaluating the effectiveness of messages is by developing and using
strategic questions to identify strength and weaknesses.

“STRATEGIES FOR EVALUATING A MESSAGE”

How do we evaluate messages?
In order to evaluate whether a message is effective, we can ask ourselves a series of
questions which reflect a message’s simplicity, specificity, structure and stickiness.

“EVALUATING IMAGES”
It is important to critically evaluate images you use for research. Study and
presentation images should be evaluated like any other source, such as journal articles
or books, to determine their quality, reliability, and appropriateness. Visual
analysis is an important step in evaluating an image and understanding its meaning.

Three steps of evaluating an image:

1. Identifying source
2. Interpret contextual information
3. Understand implications

ANALYZING THE TEXT/IMAGES:

“CONTENT ANALYSIS”
What do you see?
What is the image all about?
Are there people in the image?
What are they doing?
How are they presented?

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Can the image be looked at different ways?
How effective is the image as a visual message?

“VISUAL ANALYSIS”
How is the image composed?
What is in the background and what is in the foreground?
What are the most important visual?

“IMAGE SOURCE”
Where did you find the image?
What information does the source provide about the origin of the image?
Is the source reliable and trustworthy?
Was the image found in an image database or was it being use in another context to
convey meaning?

“TECHNICAL QUALITY”
Is the image large enough to suit your purpose?
Is the color, light and balance, true?
Is the image a quality digital image without pixilation or distortion?
Is the image in a file format you can use?

“CONTEXTUAL INFO”
What information accompanies the image?
Does the text change how you see the image? How?
Is the textual information intended to be factual an inform or is intended to influence what
and how you see?
What kind of context does the information provide?
Does it answer the questions where, how and why?
To evaluate messages and images of different types of text reflecting different culture
the following should do:
1. Understand how the specified cultures live.
2. How the people in the specified group communicate each other.
3. Learn the symbolism of their culture.
4. Be aware in every detail such as artifact, language, and symbolism.
5. Get the meanings being addressed by the images
6. Get the important elements conveyed by the images
7. Getting the audience for the images

ADDITIONAL TIPS IN EVALUATING IMAGES:

1. Get the meanings being addressed by the images
2. Get the important elements conveyed by the images
3. Getting the audience for the images

“The interactions between non-verbal and verbal forms of communication, more in particular the
relations between visual symbols other than writing and the recording of speech in writing, are
important for the evaluation of both images and texts.”

According to some, medieval images may be 'read'. According to others, the perception of
image is fundamentally different from that of texts.
Do images have a morphology (colors, lines, planes), a syntax and semantics of their own?
In other words: do both texts and images have a 'grammar'? Is it useful to speak of 'visual
literacy'?
Can texts be considered as images?

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 How are texts and images perceived?
Do they communicate different kinds of messages?
Can an image's message be put into words?
In which social contexts does medieval man prefer the visual to the textual?
What about the interplay of texts and images (e.g. in rituals and ceremonies)?
Do we observe an evolution in the perception of images due to the development of a
literate mentality?

WHAT IS CULTURAL TEXT?

Cultural texts are those objects, actions, and behaviors that reveal cultural meanings. A
photo is an image, but is also a cultural text, a picture with cultural information beyond
just the picture itself.
various
Food and clothing also suggest cultural information, and it doesn’t stop there. The
entire place and space, all of the people and interaction, all of the rituals and rules and
the forms in which they manifest are “readable” text, suitable for observation and analysis by the
ethnographer and writer.

SAMPLE IDENTIFICATION OF A CULTURAL TEXT

Take a look around the room or place you are in right now and briefly catalog the people
and/or things you see. These objects and actions are cultural texts. In traditional American
college classroom, there are some cultural texts that are fairly standard: tables and chairs or
desks; bright lighting; black or white board to write on. Your class room may also be a 'smart
room', complete with a computer or LCD projector. There may be windows, one or two doors. The
floor may or may not be carpeted. There will also be the presence of decoration-paint, tile, etc. A
space may or may not be void of people, who are also considered to be cultural texts. Their
actions, arrangements and demographics reflect how the space is used. What is in a space and
what happens in the space are all cultural texts that are available for analysis. In other words,
the space and objects with in it are "readable" cultural texts. They say something about the
purpose, needs, and perhaps even values and beliefs of the people who occupy it.
ANALYSIS CAN BE CHALLENGING BECAUSE WE HAVE ALL AGREED TO THE MEANING
WHICH WE TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED.
For example, it is most likely that you have never entered a classroom and been all that
confused about where you should sit or what part of the space is intended for the instructor. It is
also, most probably true that whether the classroom desks are arranged in rows, or in a circle,
students will always leave the "front" of the room for the instructor and arrange themselves at a
distance from the instructor. There is an invisible buffer zone around the teacher space that
students seem to acknowledge, yet it is not something they discuss and agree on before they
enter the room. These things speak to the strong message of hierarchy and authority set through
the way the furniture is organized in the class room space and how well it connects to the
students' existing beliefs about the positions they and their teachers occupy in that space. This
larger observation, then, one that goes beyond the mere description of what happens to suggest
a reason why this is how and why certain behavior occurs, is the starting point for cultural
analysis.

The analysis continues as you work to ask even more questions:

Are there any works of art or books or media that provide insight into the values and ideas
of the people there?
How do your classmates or other people around you present themselves through their
clothing?
What messages are you "reading" from them? How might they be "reading" you?
These types of questions are really just the beginning as you identify the variety of cultural
texts available to you in your research.

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As a researcher, you will be working to uncover the stories and deeper meaning in artifacts
(things) and behaviors.
Artifacts at a site may seem so "normal" to the people who use them that they don't even
realize they carry any meaning. As reader and researcher of cultural texts (artifacts,
styles, rituals, behaviors, expressions, etc.), you will have to interpret as you observe while
attempting at the same time to understand how the community you are observing
interprets their own cultural patterns. Whether you are an insider (a member of the
community) or an outsider (an observer of the community), when you present your
study/research, you will attempt to tell the story of how things look from the inside.

DETECTING BIAS IN THE MEDIA

- Media bias is ubiquitous (everywhere) and not easy to detect. It is always useful to
compare several sources of information and, in doing so, it becomes clear that media
coverage is never completely objective.
- Media have tremendous power in setting cultural guidelines and in shaping political
discourse. It is essential that news media, along with other institutions, are challenged
to be fair and accurate.

“BIAS IN OMMISSION:”
For every news story that is selected, there are many others that are left out. Do the news
stories you see show a balanced view of real life? What are the characteristics they have in
common? (e.g., Are they mostly about violence, famous people, wealth?) Do some news sources
include items that are ignored by others?

“BIAS BY EMPHASIS:”
What stories are on the front page or “at the top of the hour?” Which stories get the
largest headlines, or the first and longest coverage on TV or radio? Consider how this placement
influences people’s sense of what is important.

“BIAS BY USE OF LANGUAGE:”

The use of labels such as terrorist,” “revolutionary,” or “freedom fighter” can create
completely different impressions of the same person or event.

“BIAS IN PHOTOS:”
Unflattering pictures can create bad impressions, and partial pictures of scenes can
completely change the context of an event.

“BIAS IN THE SOURCE:”

An article about a cure for cancer written by a drug company is not the same as an article
by an independent researcher. Often, private companies, governments, public relations firms,
and political groups produce press releases to gain media exposure and to influence the public.

“BIAS BY HEADLINES:”
Some headlines can be deceptive, as their main purpose is to grab attention. Many people
read only the headlines, which can create a distorted sense of what is really going on, or turn a
non-event into a sensational event.

“BIAS BY REPITITION:”
The repetition of a particular event or idea can lead people to believe that it is true, very
widespread, and much more important than it really is.

“BIAS IN NUMBERS AND STATISTICS:”

Statistics need to be interpreted; they are often used to create false impressions. Of the

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following statements, which statistic would you use to try to convince someone that the
death penalty is a good idea?
Almost 30% of those surveyed support the death penalty.
More than 70% of those surveyed are against the death penalty.

“BIAS IN DIVERSITY:”
What is the race and gender diversity at the news outlet you watch compared to the
communities it serves? How many producers, editors or decision-makers at news outlets are
women, people of color or openly gay or lesbian? In order to fairly represent different
communities, news outlets should have members of those communities in decision-making
positions.

“BIAS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW:”

Political coverage often focuses on how issues affect politicians or corporate executives
rather than those directly affected by the issue. For example, many stories on parental
notification of abortion emphasized the "tough choice" confronting male politicians while
quoting no women under 18-those with the most at stake in the debate. Economics
coverage usually looks at how events impact stockholders rather than workers or
consumers.
Demand that those affected by the issue have a voice in coverage.

5 DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXTS

Narrative - is a way of presenting connected events in order to tell a good story. Whether
it's a narrative essay, a biography, or a novel, a narrative unites distinct events by concept, idea,
or plot. Common types of narratives normally contain a beginning, middle, and an end.
Examples: legend, fairy tale, myth, or fable
Descriptive - is to describe a person, place or thing in such a way that a picture is formed in
the reader's mind. Capturing an event through descriptive writing involves paying close
attention to the details by using all of your five senses.
Examples: a story about the places visited on a family trip, someone giving a very detailed
account of an experience they had
Directive - is an order or direction issued for other by an authority. Your reason should be
clear and the reason of issuing the letter must be obvious and understandable. You can also
mention that you want to follow up of the task and when it should be sent.
Examples: definitions, explications, summaries
Expository- presents readers with important research and information about a topic.
Expository writing gives facts and information about a topic.
Examples: news articles, informational books, instruction manuals, or textbooks
Argumentative - is usually defined as a type of discourse concerned with the presentation and
evaluation of arguments, either rhetorical or dialectical, which show the cause-effect
relationship established in an event or theory.
Examples: whether students should have to wear school uniforms, “The internet is a good
invention.”

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Initializing
The Key Concepts of Media Literacy framework serve as a basis for developing a critical
understanding of the content of the mass media, the technique used and the impact of these
techniques. Also, the key concepts of Media Literacy can be very helpful in the construction of
media text for different purposes. The term “text” includes any form of written, spoken or media
work conveying meaning to an audience. Text may use words, sounds, and images in presenting
information. It may also be in oral, print, visual or electronic form.

Concept Grounding
Key Concepts of Media Literacy (Center for Media Literacy, 2005)

Key Concepts Guide Questions in Media Text Analysis

1. All media messages are “constructed”. 1. What is the message of the text?
2. How effectively does it represent reality?
3. How is the message constructed?
2. Media have embodied values and point 1. What lifestyles, values and points of view
of view. are represented in the text?
2. Who or what is missing?
3. Each person interprets messages 1. What message do you perceive from the
differently. text?
2. How might others understand it
differently? Why?
4. Media have commercial, ideological or 1. What is the purpose of the text?
political interests. 2. Who is the target audience of the text?
3. Who might be disadvantaged?
4. Who created the text and why?
5. Media messages are constructed using a 1. What techniques are used and why?
creative language having its own rules. 2. How effective are the techniques in
supporting the messages or themes of
the text?
3. What are the ways of presenting the
message?

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 Concretizing
1. Picture Analysis

Source: https://mindspaceintuition.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/cross-
cultural.jpg
a. Analyze the content of the picture above using the Key Concept Questions.
b. Present your image presentation through an oral presentation.
2. Assignment
1. Think of a cause-oriented event that will address an issue in your locality. Prepare a
multimodal advertisement for that event.

Introspecting
Guide Questions:
1. What are your observations on how an image presented?
2. In what ways, should media present text/image about various cultures?

References:
Wakat, G., S. et. al. (2018). Purposive Communication. Lorimar
Publishing, Inc., Cubao, Quezon City,

Retrieved from:
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-rizal-
system/electrical-engineering/evaluating-messages-andor-
images-of-different-types-of-texts-reflecting-different-
cultures/18621463/download/evaluating-messages-andor-
images-of-different-types-of-texts-reflecting-different-
cultures.pdf

Prepared by:

WILSON M. DUDOC
Course Instructor

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