Critical thinking and media literacy

 Pensamiento crítico y alfabetización mediática 

(Critical thinking and media literacy)

One cognitive skill that is essential in approaching media texts is critical thinking. You, most certainly, know the meaning of the words critical and thinking separately. But combined critical thinking has a special meaning. It is a term applied to the analysis of data or ideas by using observation, experience, reasoning and logic in order to arrive at a conclusion. When we think critically, we try to go beyond understanding just the superficial elements of a text, idea or problem and we try to decipher the implicit intentions or arguments behind them and question these.

Through critical thinking, we can analyze messages to which we are exposed in the media. Critical thinking aims to help us understand the messages that might be implicit, hidden, or subliminal. Let’s take a look at a specific type of critical thinking and analysis that is used particularly in the context of media analysis: media literacy.

Media literacy is all about taking a second look at media texts. This basically means that when we hear or look at media, we can miss elements that are not obvious or explicit. Media literacy is about learning to “read” media in order to find those underlying meanings in a text. By listening or looking twice we will be able to catch information that may contain important clues to these messages. This kind of double-checking can be intentional or accidental. For example, you might have been listening to an artist for many years before you notice that there is a deeper message in the songs. Or, you may intentionally analyze an advertisement to understand the strategies used by the marketer to sell the product.

So why should we develop media literacy?

You cannot always believe what you see. Though some media is based on real events, people, and places, media nowadays have millions of ways of making things that are not real appear so. Special effects, stunt people, camera tricks, editing software and great acting construct images, texts and scenes that appear real but are actually only simulations. Simulating reality can trick viewers into believing that what they are seeing is the truth, and this is most often the objective of the creators, making you believe what you see. Every word, image, sound, and color has a purpose in constructing a strategy to convey a message. Things are not there, or are not omitted, on accident. Media literacy is important because it helps you avoid being manipulated by these strategies.

Media strategies: persuasion and perspective

Media texts have a target audience and specific purposes. Media texts, like other texts, seek to achieve something. Each text has a clear reason for being. Purposes can range from entertaining, to informing, to persuading, to making money, to explaining, to arguing and the text’s purpose is always linked to the target audience. When creators of media texts compose, their characterize the target audience in terms of sex, age, education, economic and social status, occupation, lifestyle, values, beliefs, tastes, etc. Those characteristics shape the construction of a successful media text.

Key concepts and questions to keep in mind