Chapter I.
Introduction to Media and Information Literacy
Communication is an exchange in information or news. These are acts that make use of words, sounds, signs, or behavior to
express your ideas and thoughts.
Communication models were created to explain the human communication process.
The Linear Model of Communication (Shannon and Weaver, 1949) followed the basic concept of communication wherein it is
the process of sending and receiving messages or transferring (channel) information from one part (sender) to another
(receiver).
Sender – Channel – Receiver
The Evolution of the Communication Model:
David Berlo expanded the Linear Model of Communication to SMCR Model of Communication.
Sender – Message – Channel – Receiver
The Rules in the Communication Process:
Communication is a social interaction where at least two interacting agents share a common set of signs and a common set of
semiotic rules. (Schramm)
The three levels of the semiotic rules in the communication process are the following:
Sematic
Pragmatic
Syntactic
The 10 Levels of Intimacy in Communication by Andrew Abrahams
Media are communication channels which news, entertainment, education, information or promotional messages are
disseminated.
Media Roles
Act as channels of information and knowledge
Facilitate informed debate
Provide us with information about the world beyond our immediate experience
Function as an advocate and social actor in its own right while respecting pluralistic values
Build a sense of community
Function as a watchdog of the government in promoting transparency
Act as a facilitator of democratic process
Serve as a vehicles for cultural expression and cultural cohesion
Information are facts learned or provided about something or someone. These are often conveyed or represented through
symbols, events, experience, details and many more.
The Internet: Means of Communication and Source of Information
The internet is an important source of information because of the following:
It has a wide array of publishers.
It has vast information from culture to science.
It has an archive of all the news globally.
Information can be accessed across the globe through different platforms in the internet creating convenience in information
accessibility.
Information can also be accessed through: Facebook, Blogs, Online Journals, Twitter, Websites, Linkedin
Facebook: A Channel for Communication
Its features that makes it a channel for communication are the following:
Facebook chat allows you to communicate real time despite geographical locations.
Facebook status allows you to send to your readers a message you want to convey.
Facebook comment can be a form of communication for feedback.
Effects of Facebook as a means of Communication
Facebook has changed the world because it:
Changed how we keep in touch
Changed the way we share our lives
Changed the way we consume information
Changed the way we view privacy
Changed the way people are bullied
Changed the way businesses interact with customers.
Media and Information
Media and information can and cannot influence its audience, but generally, it influences majority of its audience.
Media and information can influence the audience because these dictate the audience what to do and what to think and at the
same time triggers a social response to its audience.
Media and information cannot influence some of its audience because these can be filtered by their audience.
