MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY

Media - the main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the Internet)
regarded collectively.

According to a study, an average person spends around 68.8% of his waking hours with the
media. We are mostly involved in media multitasking or the “simultaneous exposure to
messages from different media.”

According to Vivian (2009), the following are the things we usually need media for:

Personal dependence – there are people who have come to depend on the media for
their convenience. Swift transmission of information is what entices people to use media.
Information – We thrive on information and it is important for us to make decisions,
make informed opinions, and contribute something important to discussions.
Entertainment – In social media, entertainment comes in the form of videos, photos,
stories shared from one user to another.
Persuasion – Democracy builds public policies based on the agreement of the public
majority. Social media has sparked various discussions on pressing issues of the
country, making the people heard by the government and public officials.

Media Literacy - “possession of knowledge to be competent in assessing messages carried by

mass media.”
- is generally defined as the ability to access the media, to understand and to critically
evaluate different aspects of the media and media contents and to create
communications in a variety of contexts.

Aufderheide (1992) has identified media literacy as “a movement, which is designed to help to
understand, to produce, and negotiate meanings in a culture of images, words and sounds.”

Vivian (2009) has enumerated the following factors to consider in media literacy:
1. Factual Foundation - to understand media better, it is best for a person to learn the
basics of the media at hand.
2. Media Dynamics
3. Media Effects – through media literacy, we can distinguish what concerns and issues
must be significant to us and what would bring the opposite effect.
4. Media Issues

Information Literacy - ability to recognize when information is needed and to locate , evaluate,
effectively use and communicate information in its various formats.
- “critical thinking, meta-cognitive, and procedural knowledge used to locate information
in specific domains, fields and contexts.

Technology Literacy - Skills to responsibly use appropriate technology to access , synthesize,

evaluate, communicate, and create information to solve problems and improve learning in all
subject areas.

Shaphiro and Hughes (1996) defined technology literacy as “the ability to ongoingly adapt to,
understand, evaluate, and make use of the continually emerging innovations in information
technology so as not to be a prisoner of prior tools and resources and to make intelligent
decisions about the adoption of new ones.
Media technology is the product of human invention.

● Printing Technology – in the 1440s, the emergence of the printing press spawned the
creation of printed materials such as books, newspapers and magazines.
● Chemical Technology – Photography and films relies on chemical technology that
continues to evolve until today.
● Electronic Technology – Some of the examples of electronic technology are sound
recording, electricity, radio and television.
● Digital Technology – the Internet adapted the traditional media types into digital
technology, coexisting with its original form. While traditional media has adopted digital
technology to increase capital and audience, the digital medium has also opened.

The Evolution of Traditional to New Media

PRE-HISTORIC AGE - basically consisted of records created by our ancestors, long even
before writing was even invented. They have made use of stone tools to craft – and thus leave a
record of their lives back in the old days.
● People discovered fire, developed paper from plants, and forged weapons and tools with
stone, bronze, copper and Iron.

Cave Paintings are also known as “Parietal Art”. They are painted drawings. They are painted
drawings on cave walls or ceilings, mainly of prehistoric origin, dated to some 40000 years ago
in Eurasia.
● Here in the Philippines we have sightings of Cave paintings discovered at
Angono, Rizal. Discovered in 1965, the Angono Petroglyphs are believed to be
the oldest known artworks in the Philippines.
Clay Tablets were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the
Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age.
● Cuneiform used b ity the Sumerians, which they used not just to jot down
important details, but also to write relevant literature, among them the famous
Epic of Gilgamesh.
Papyrus in Egypt is a material similar to thick paper that was used in Ancient Times as writing
surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus.
Woodblock Printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout
East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper.
Acta Diurna were carved on stone or metal and presented in meboards in public places like the
forum of Rome. They were also called simply “Acta”.
The Chinese “Dibao” is the earliest and oldest newspaper in the world. And it is also called
“Bamboo Inscriptions”.

INDUSTRIAL AGE (1700’S-1930’S) - People used the power of steam, developed machine
tools, established iron production and manufacturing of various products (including books
through printing press).
- Media further developed in the 1800s with Thomas Edison’s invention of the
phonograph, and it was also during this period that William Dickinson devised motion
picture cameras.

Motion Picture Photography

● Cinematography - the art and technology of motion- picture photography. It
involves such techniques as the general composition of a scene and the
 integration of any special effects.
● In 1836, Samuel F.B. Morse along with Joseph Henry and Alfred Vail further
advanced the way people communicate with the invention of an electrical
telegraph system that enabled people to send messages from distant places.
● The Morse Code was remarkable as it can transmit messages by means of
on-off tones which can be understood by a skilled listener.
● Printing press for mass production (19th century)
● Typewriter
● Motion picture photography (1890)
● Telegraph

Electronic Age (1930s - 1980s) - The invention of the transistor ushered in the electronic age.
People harnessed the power of transistors that led to the transistor radio, electronic circuits, and
the early computers. In this age, long distance communication became more efficient.

● In 1895, Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first radio waves.

● In 1876, when Scottish-born American scientist Alexander Graham Bell was granted the
first official patent for the telephone.
● The television era began in 1927, when the use of the first electronic television
designed by Philo Taylor Farnsworth was successfully demonstrated.
● Transistor Radio
● Television (1941)
● Mainframe computers - i.e. IBM 704 (1960)
● Personal computers - i.e. Hewlett Packard 100A (1968), Apple 1 (1976) OHP, LCD
projectors
● Large electronic computers - i.e. EDSAC

NEW DIGITAL AGE/ INFORMATION AGE (1900’s – 2000’s) - The Internet paved the way for
faster communication and the creation of the social network. People advanced the use of
microelectronics with the invention of personal computers, mobile devices, and wearable
technology. Moreover, voice, image, sound and data are digitized. We are now living in the
information age.

History of Media in the Philippines

● In the pre-colonial times the Filipinos already had a writing system (baybayin) which they
used to communicate, particularly on basic things such as documents and receipts for
transactions.
 ● During colonial times, the Spanish brought with them the technology for printing used in
Europe – which led to the Doctrina Cristiana, which was reportedly published in the 17th
century
● The first newspaper in the Philippines was the Successos Felices which was published
by Tomas Pinpin in 1637.

● A pre-revolutionary newspaper the La Solidaridad, which was written in Spanish and

published in Spain, was supported by Filipino intellectuals, the landed natives, and even
some Spaniards who sympathized with the Filipino cause for independence.
○ La Solidaridad was one of the most influential media in Philippine History.

Learning Theories on Information and Media Literacy

1. Phenomenographic perspective - It is basically directed on the variation of people’s

experiences of a certain phenomena, in this case information literacy.
2. Socio-cultural perspective - It dedicates itself to communication in social practices.
Russian behaviorist named Lev Vygotsky, whose writings helped people understand the
significance of using cultural tools in learning.
3. Discourse Analysis Perspective - This focuses on how people in practice perform
specific information tasks. Its aim is to understand information literacy through
information practices.

Information Literacy and Types of Media

INFORMATION LITERACY - An information literate person possesses the skills and techniques
for measuring the value of information and molding this information to suit their needs.

Data, information and knowledge you need to acquire and use must have the following
qualities:

1. Relevance – in searching for information with regards to a particular topic, it is important

to consider what suits your needs.

2. Validity – Information must not merely be from anyone or anywhere. Information from
reliable sources are significantly more valid than those from questionable sources.

3. Reliability – This is measured by its consistency. It must have been verified and
supported by collated facts to be considered reliable.
4. Timeliness – Information must not only be reliable, but timely. You must properly identify
whether you need current information or if older sources may do.
5. Accuracy –this relies on the information’s verification by other alike sources and
supporting evidence.
6. Completeness – Partial information may be considered unreliable because of it being
just a small part of a bigger picture. It must suit what is needed by the researcher.

Ethical Use of Information

● Privacy – as defined by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, is the “state of being alone or
being away from public attention.”
● Accuracy – relates to the correctness of the information source to the details of the
information.
● Plagiarism – is the representation of another author’s language, thoughts, ideas, or
 expressions as one’s own original work.
● Citing – Citation is needed for the acknowledgement of the original source of the
information you used. Citation of sources gives your text reliability and credibility with the
wise use of references.
● Quoting – is putting an exact or word-by-word copy of the original author’s words. This
is used to preserve the intended context of a statement. In using this, you must properly
acknowledge the author, the resource, and the page, if necessary.
● Paraphrasing – is rewriting the original statement from a source in your own words.
After paraphrasing, make sure that you give credit to the original author and the source.

The goal of media is to convey an advertising message to the audience through the most
appropriate media channel for their product.

In general, you can classify media in three main categories:

a. Print Media
b. Broadcasting
c. New Media

PRINT MEDIA
Books - These are long-form, word-driven, media content. These materials are used by
students as aides for learning.

● Trade books are widely distributed, general-interest titles that are either fiction or
non-fiction.
● Textbooks include college textbooks, elementary and high school textbooks and
learning materials. Also includes professional and reference books like dictionaries,
encyclopedias and atlases.

Newspapers - These give people a common ground, or common topics to tackle and talk
about.

● Broadsheet newspapers are much more informative and serious. They are larger in size
too. They detail serious incidents, use much more formal language and detail
developments in politics, current affairs and finances.
● Tabloid Newspapers are usually smaller than Broadsheet. They are typically much more
dramatic, lighthearted and informal than Broadsheet.

Magazines This is a widespread medium that can provide entertainment for the lesser
privileged for its mostly visual and colorful appearance.

● Consumer magazines include newsmagazines, women’s magazines, men’s

magazines, and intelligentsia.
● Non-newsrack magazines are publications in which organizations create their own
published material for their members.

Billboards – huge advertisements created with the help of computers. Their goal is to attract
people passing by.
Brochures – a type of booklet that includes everything about one company – its products,
services, terms and conditions, contact details, address, etc.
Flyers – used mostly by small companies due to the low cost of advertising. They contain the
basic information about a company, their name, logo, service or product, and contact
information, and they are distributed in public areas.

BROADCAST MEDIA
Radio – uses radio waves to transmit entertaining, informative, and educative content to the
public. Due to its high reach to the audience, radio is widely used for advertising products and
services. Radio is one of the oldest means of entertainment, and today people often hear it to
find out the weather and traffic while commuting.

Television – Each channel delivers a different type of content, so you have a separate channel
for news, drama, movies, sports, animation, nature, travel, politics, cartoon, and religion. It’s the
number one broadcasting media due to its reach to the audience.

Movies – film, motion picture, screenplay, moving picture, or movie has world-wide reachability.
It’s the best type of mass media to promote cultures and spread social awareness. Movies have
always played a huge part in the entertainment world.

NEW MEDIA
Nowadays, we are relying on the Internet to get the news a lot more often than the traditional
news sources. Websites provide information in the form of video, text, and audio. We can even
choose the way we want to receive the news.

Types of Internet media include:

a. Social networks or websites

b. Online forums

c. Podcast

MEDIA CONVERGENCE
- It is a phenomenon involving the interconnection of information and communications
technologies, computer networks and media content.
● Technological convergence is the most basic element of media convergence
as it depicts the easy access of billions of people to media content.
● Industrial convergence wherein big media companies use a diverse number of
media platforms to widen their reach.
● Social convergence is brought about by social media, which enables users from
different parts of the world to engage in discussions globally.

Media, Information Sources, and Information Languages

Primary Source
● Is an original, un-interpreted, or “first-hand” material of information.
● Created by the person(s) directly involved in an activity or an event.

Secondary Source
● Provides information obtained through a number of primary sources.
● Has undergone editing or interpretation.

Tertiary Source
 ● Consist of summaries and collections of both primary and secondary sources.
● Are not always considered to be acceptable materials for academic research as they
only provide overviews of the original references.

Gray Literature – these are sources that are not usually made available for distribution. Authors
of this type of source must belong in the same field that they are writing about with a high
degree of education. This is hard to locate most of the time but some can be found through print
or electronic means.

Where to Find Information Sources

● Library is a building or room that contains a collection of books, periodicals, and/or
audio-visual materials.
● Internet is a global network of computers that allows computer users around the world to
share information for various purposes.
● Indigenous media refers to a form of media conceptualized, produced, and circulated
by indigenous people as vehicles for communication.

LIBRARY - A place in which literary, musical, artistics or reference materials are kept for use but
not for sale.

4 major types of Library

1. Academic Library - library which is attached to academic institutions like schools,

colleges and university.
2. Public Library - Serves cities and towns of all types.
3. Special Library - Are in specialized environments, such as hospitals, corporations,
museums, military, private business and government.
4. National Library - To serve as the preeminent repository information for that country.

INTERNET - A global computer network providing a variety of information and communication

facilities, consisting of interconnected using standardized communication protocols.

INDIGENOUS MEDIA - refers to a form of media conceptualized, produced, and circulated by

indigenous people as vehicles for communication.
● INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE (IK) - is the local knowledge. The knowledge that is
unique to a given culture or society.

Forms of Indigenous Media

1. folk or Traditional Media
2. Gathering and Social Organizations
3. Direct Observation
4. Records ( Written, Carved, Oral)
5. Oral Instruction

Things to consider when evaluating information

❑ Reliability
❑ Accuracy
❑ Value
❑ Authority
❑ Timeliness
Skills in determining the reliability of information
❑ Check the Author
❑ Check the date of publication or of update
❑ Check citations
❑ Check the Domain or owner of the site/page
⮚ .com - commercial
⮚ .edu - educational
⮚ .gov - government

Skills in determining the accurate information

❑ look for facts

❑ Cross-reference with other sources for consistency
❑ Determine the reason for writing and publishing the information.

How is language defined in the media? means the technical and symbolic ingredients or
codes and conventions that media and information professionals may select and use in an effort
to communicate ideas, information and knowledge.

MEDIA LANGUAGES - codes, conventions, formats, symbols and narrative structures that
indicate the meaning of media messages to an audience.

MEDIA Codes
● CODES - are systems of signs that when put together create meaning.
○ Technical Codes
○ Symbolic Codes
○ Written Codes
● TECHNICAL CODES - are ways in which equipment is used to tell the story; in media
this includes Camerawork, Editing, Audio and Lighting.
● CAMERAWORK - refers to how the camera is operated, positioned and moved for
specific effects; this include but are not limited to: Basic Camera Shots, Advance
Camera Shots, and Camera Angles.

CAMERA SHOTS
● Extreme wide shot, wide shot, medium shot, medium close up, close up, extreme close
up
● Two shot, Cut away, over the shoulder shot, point of view, selective focus, rack focus

CAMERA ANGLES
● Bird’s eye view, high angle, eye level, worm’s eye view, low angle, canted/dutch angle

CAMERA MOVEMENT
● Pan Shot - the camera pans (moves horizontally) from left to right or vice versa across
the picture
● Tilt Shot - the camera tilts up (moves upwards) or tilts down (moves downwards) around
a vertical line
● Tracking Shot - the camera follows along next to or behind a moving object or person
● Zoom - the stationary camera approaches a subject by “zooming in” or moves farther
away by “zooming out”.
EDITING
- is the process of choosing, manipulating and arranging images and sound. It is
generally done for four different reasons:
● Graphic edits ● Rhythmic edits
● Spacial edits ● Temporal edits

AUDIO
- is the expressive or naturalistic use of sound. Audio can be diegetic or non-diegetic. The
three aspects of audio are:
● Dialogue ● Sound effects ● Music

LIGHTING
- is the manipulation of natural or artificial light to selectively highlight specific elements of
the scene. Elements of lighting include:
● Quality ● Direction
● Source ● Colour

SYMBOLIC CODES
- These are codes that are shown visually. Its meaning lies beneath the surface of what
we see. These codes are used in objects, setting, body language, clothing and color.
WRITTEN CODES
- These are codes in text. Some examples include headlines, captions, speech bubbles
and language style.

MEDIA CONVENTION
- conventions are known as “habits or long accepted ways of doing things, mostly learned
and practiced through repeated experiences.” Through its repetitive and habitual nature,
the audiences become used to and familiar with the meaning.

TYPES OF CONVENTION