The creation of media comes in a variety of formats. Some create media via social media platforms and emails; others create media via television or blogs, such as what I am doing today. No matter how that media is created, I believe an appropriate and important question we should ask ourselves is why media creation is critical to media literacy.
The creation of media literacy, in my opinion, allows for valuable and pertinent discussions as well as giving way to a learning process which includes reasoning and possible problem-solving. As discussed in an article from Niall McNulty, media literacy and the creation of it “help people identify reliable sources and filter through the noise to get at the truth.” With so much misinformation circulating in abundance, it is imperative to create honest and responsible content while, at the same time, having the ability to recognize, decipher, and refute fabricated information. We have a duty to ourselves and our audience to lay the groundwork that allows for educated and knowledgeable decision-making processes that comes as a result of the media created content.
In contrast to the latter, media creation allows, for someone such as myself, the assertion to vocalize one’s thoughts on subject matters that are important to them and their communities. Media creation, in this form, is an instrument to confront or expand on thoughts and/or issues. The article from Media Literacy Week says it best. “Media creation is a form of expression. It encompasses learning how to express ideas through media and communication tools and using that power to create media narratives beyond those that exist in mainstream media.” This is powerful because we all have the capacity to articulate our pondered thoughts and opinions as we express ourselves via our self-created media content.
As we come to appreciate the importance media creation is to media literacy, we can never allow ourselves to forgo the responsibility and duty we owe to ourselves and our audience to remain morally and ethically equitable.
