Media and Information

Literacy
Quarter 2 – Module 3:
Implications of Media and
Information
Media and Information
Literacy
Quarter 2 – Module 3:
Implications of Media and
Information
 What I Know

True or False: Write True if the statement is a fact; otherwise, write False.

_______ 1. The media force feeds information to unwilling receivers.

_______ 2. Media and Information literate individuals enjoy an improved quality of

_______ 3. Media and information literate individuals actively participate in politics.

_______ 4. Only paid online content generates income.

_______ 5. IT based jobs are needed in the media.

_______ 6. Media and information have re-made the learning environment.

_______ 7. Media and information literate individuals are in total disconnected to the
world.

_______ 8. Creation of jobs is the media’s role in the economy.

_______ 9. Critical thinking is a skill necessary to become a media and information

_______ 10. Communication between media and information literate individuals has
become more complicated.

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love and affection and this “techie” activity would certainly thrill them,” a maller
remarked.

Another shopper also said: “magandang program ito kasi, lalong na pag buo
ang pamilya sa mga techie communication gadgets ngayon tulad ng chats at
mga posts at puede sila mag-games para di mainip (this is a good program as
this brings the family closer using techie communication gadgets now like the
chats and posts and they can also play games to while away the time).”

A computer instructor also commented that teaching the elderly how to operate
gadgets bring them simple joys as they are delighted to tinker with the
equipment they had not seen or used during their time.

Guide questions:

1. What are the benefits senior citizens get in learning new technology?
2. What can the new generation learn from the elders who are techie savvy?
3. How do modern communication gadgets bridge the generation gaps within the
family?

What is It

A senior high school student might ask why Media and Information Literacy becomes
a core subject in the curriculum, while it could have been a specialized subject meant
only for students who are inclined for further academic studies in communication
and media arts. The reason is simple: every citizen must be media and information
literate.
One of the proponents for this conclusion dates back to 2010, in the 3rd United
Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Global Forum on May 2010 in Rio de
Janeiro Brazil. In one of its thematic sessions focusing on the social impact of media
literacy, media literacy was identified as “an empowerment tool that facilitates the
active participation of citizens in the political process of contemporary societies.” MIL
is considered as a platform for social inclusion, especially in the new digital
environment, where the youth who are becoming more and more exposed to social
media, are challenged to become more involved participants in their communities.
Moreover, the new digital environment promotes a certain “participatory culture” that
empowers individuals to get actively involved in democratic societies, thus enabling
them to participate in social discourse and deeper dialogue with their communities.
Education is the key factor to inform societies about the implications of media and
information literacy. Thus, UNESCO’s Teacher Training Curricula for media and

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information literacy was highlighted as the new resource that identifies the core
competencies and areas in general education associated with MIL. In 2010,
discussions on MIL were not yet highlighted in exiting curricula for general education
around the world. Therefore, the need educate people in this brand new perspective
was seen as a much-needed course of action.

The end point of the 2010 Rio de Janeiro Forum was the identification of the
attributes of media and information literacy: a necessary source for social inclusion,
and a platform that facilitates the development of citizenship participation in
pluralistic societies. All MIL initiatives, whether within or beyond the formal
education settings were regarded as key elements for the promotion of intercultural
dialogue.

What’s More

Meant for a Better World

UNESCO refers to Media and Information Literacy as the essential competency and
skills that enables people to engage with media and other information providers
effectively and develop critical thinking and life-long learning skills to socialize and
become active citizens. Therefore, media and information literate individuals have
improved the quality of life, show active participation in politics, promote economic
opportunities, enjoy an improved learning environment and become a more cohesive
social unit as an individual.

The following implications of media and information literacy is extracted from the
“E-Learning Guide on Media and Information Literacy” available in
https://sites.google.com/.

Media and information improve quality of life

Anyone can attest that life before is different than life today. The dawn of every age
in history has always been brought by developments that change society’s way of life.
From the stone age ushered by cavemen who developed stones as tools, to today’s
information age brought about by media and information technologies, the change
of era from then until now is prompted by the desire to make things better.

There is no denying the extent of how the media and information age has drastically
improved the lives of people. Communication has been made easier. Information has
become widely accessible. Conducting research has become more convenient. There

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is entertainment content for everyone. Things that used to take time to long distance
communication are now instantaneous. The cost of getting information is down from
exorbitant to incredibly cheap – often even free. What was one for the select few, are
now for everyone. All these and more are enjoyed by media literate individuals and
prove just how much the quality of life has improved thanks to media and
information.

Media and information for greater political participation

The media and the government have a long-standing relationship in the field of public
service. While the government serves the people by leading the nation towards
progress, the media serve them by informing the public about subjects they need or
want to know. Politics is a persisting media content, particularly in news.

Former President Benigno Aquino III once alluded that the Filipino people are his
boss. Unlike bosses, however, not everyone has the time or resources to verify if those
in the government serve the best interest of the Filipino people as a whole. So the
media does this job for them. It is said that the media serves as the eyes and the ears
of the masses in the government. Through media reports of government activities
and issues, the publics are informed of the political affairs in the country and are
further encouraged to take a more active role in the government.

Media and information promoting economic opportunities

The media industry has grown in number in today’s information age both in content
and in the workforce. The open content contribution nature of the new media has
made it possible for ordinary individuals to offer their materials for consumption
often for free or at times for a cost. Typically, if online content is free but has gained
popularity, advertisers will offer to buy digital ad space on a web page. Even YouTube,
a free video host, pays video contributors if their videos get enough views or if their
channels have a high subscriber rate. Paid content, on the other hand, creates direct
revenue. Free or not, media and information give contributors a platform for earning
additional income.

It is true that the influx of media offerings has led to the creation of more jobs in the
media. Of course, if there is an increase in content, there’s a need for more people to
manage them. The convergence of various media platforms has created hybrid
mediums that requires experts to run them. The persistent need to always be in the
know has called for specialists to maintain the ubiquitous nature of media and
information. New jobs like social media managers or multimedia specialists have
been created because of this growth. Even IT based jobs which were once rarities in
the media are now a necessity. As media and information grow, so does jobs that
require media and information literate individuals and when jobs grow, so does the
economy. Employment or the lack thereof persists as an economic problem in most
developing countries like the Philippines. The media industry in the age of
information plays a vital catalyst role to address that.

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Media and information for improvement of learning environment

Many believe that media and information have made learning easy, accessible and
inexpensive. Which these are true, the improvement in the learning environment
brought by media and information goes beyond convenience, availability and cost.
Its true implication is that it made the learning an object of desire. For so long, the
concept of learning has been a sores subject for many. This is not because everyone
is just innately opposed to learning -in fact, the birth of the information age proves
the exact opposite- but because the learning environment people were exposed to is
simply unattractive. For so long learning has been perceived as a tedious yet
necessary part of everyone/s lives. Learning is schools meant understanding – or at
least attempting to- subjects for the sake of passing or getting good grades. One’s
education is given importance because it is pre-requisite to a good which is then
equated to a good life. Traditional learning environments have caused people in
general to lose appetite for knowledge. Luckily, media and information have cleansed
society’s palate and have reinvented learning.

Media does not force feed information to unwilling receivers; instead, media has
made information sought after. By offering a wide variety of content through various
platforms, there is information that would appeal to everyone. The media also made
learning a choice instead of a necessary evil. After all, no one is commanded “google”
a topic or enroll on a certain online course, people who do so chose to do it. Since
the media is a source of information and information age is characterized by the
abundance of data, media and information have been closely linked to the
improvement of the learning environment in the present age. A media and
information literate individual take advantage of this to further his or her lifelong
learning process.

Media and Information individuals as more cohesive social units

The concept of unit cohesion stems from a military concept of the bond soldiers have
that makes them more effective in working together to complete a mission. Media
and information literate individuals are said to be more cohesive social units than
those who are not. By keeping them informed, as well as connecting them in ways
that were not possible before, media and information literates becomes more cohesive
social units. This creates a bond that does not only have relational implications but
also creates societal impacts.

The media is said to have the power to affect social change. While this is true, it is
not the media that does the heavy lifting to create change in society, it is the
individuals in the society who developed a clamoring need for change because of
media. The media and information literate individuals sharing that same goal,
development would not occur.