Reflection: Module 1 Readings

In the article titled Social Critique and Pleasures: Critical Media Literacy with Popular Culture Texts written by Jesse Gainer explains how a father and daughter review song and the tensions that can be created from the message behind the lyrics. Music has the power to change our moods and affect our emotions. In every song the writer is creating a message and telling a story through their own experiences. Sometimes we listen to certain songs based on our relevance, similar experience, or a certain emotion that we feel in that moment. Sam is a ten year girl who tries to explain to her parents that her ignorance in trying to understand the message and tension written in the lyrics allows for her to enjoy the music she is listening to without the guilt to hamper the pleasure. In this case I can relate in that I have experienced situations where I could no longer listen to a song once I took the time to fully understand the message behind it. I was infatuated with the beat and the voice of the artist but once I realized why the song was written and the tension behind it, I felt a sense of guilt in enjoying the piece. The philosophy that Jesse Gainer embraces in this article is protectionist or discrimination models. “Youth must be protected from powerful media. To fend against these media, young people must be taught to discriminate between high- and low-quality media.” (Zaslow & Butler, 2002) As parents teaching your children right from wrong can help them to determine and allow for better decision making when coming across these songs that can later be destructive.
Eighteen basic principles of media education are discussed in an article titled, Media Awareness Education. The importance of being educated on the media and how it works or how to read messages is crucial, especially at a young age . Being educated on such can allow for awareness of what’s going on in the world and being able to differentiate between right and wrong decisions. Especially when teaching kids how to behave and act in public, listening to the wrong type of music as discussed above can be a factor. It is not necessarily about learning the right answers but being able to consume the message and understand the what, why, how, and so on..aspect of it and then being able to formulate your own opinions and thoughts for discussion and understanding. One of the eighteen basic principles states that “Media education is a lifelong process, therefore high student motivation must become a primary objective.” (Masterman, L.) I completely agree. Our society is constantly changing and growing and as it does our knowledge and the information we gain needs to as well. My thoughts and experiences of social media when I was younger were how magazines, music, and TV shows influenced me. In my teens it was paying attention to the media on keeping up to date on trends and fads. Today it’s being informed about what is going on in our world socially and politically. And I’m sure in five years from now it will be completely different, especially as we mature in age. To be motivated in wanting to keep updated on the media and changes can help us grow as individuals and provide new information and expand our knowledge.