Media Literacy for Critical Thinking and Democracy

About This Unit

This five-class period unit introduces students to fundamental concepts and skills related to media literacy. Students learn what mass media is, practice analyzing pieces of media content, explore ways information can be false or manipulative, and consider the connections between media literacy skills and the strength of democracies.

Essential Question

What is media literacy and why does it matter to individuals, communities, and the strength of our democracy?

Additional Context & Background

In the present day, people have constant access to information; they can access it on phones, TVs, radios, and computers, as well as in printed content and, in the case of advertising, in the street. The evolution of technology has democratized expression, making it much easier for different people (including young people) and viewpoints to get a platform, and has made it cheaper to produce and disseminate content. This has given more people a voice and challenged a previous pattern where the power to create and share content was concentrated into the hands of a few. However, the shift has also created an overwhelming amount of information for people to sift through, and content that is not rooted in fact and/or is skewed by bias is able to be shared widely and incredibly quickly (false content can now easily “go viral”). This changing landscape means that now, more than ever, people need to develop the skills to engage with content they encounter critically and constructively, and become media literate.

Media literacy skills can help people become responsible and critical information consumers and sharers, and assist them in determining what is true from what is not. Without these skills, people are more vulnerable to being manipulated by biased and false content.

American journalist Linda Ellerbee states, ¹

Media literacy is not just important, it’s absolutely critical. It’s going to make the difference between whether kids are a tool of the mass media or whether the mass media is a tool for kids to use.

Media literacy “empowers people to be critical thinkers and makers, effective communicators and active citizens [or community members]” ² . The concept refers to the skills people need to understand, interact with, and produce any kind of media content. Media literacy skills help people evaluate content they encounter and make decisions on who/what they trust and why, and can ensure they avoid falling prey to false information that is shared intentionally or unintentionally. This critical reflection can help people make effective decisions and participate in the democratic process, free from manipulation.

Media literacy skills help people assess different situations and understand the complexity of the world. They also help protect people from hate and manipulation. This understanding helps people avoid false or manipulative information and can facilitate problem-solving. A media-literate population can shape the world for the better.

• 1 Helen Lee Bouygues “How Do You Kill A Conspiracy Theory? With Media Literacy And Better Critical Thinking,” Forbes, September 22, 2022.
• 2“Media Literacy Defined,” Namle.