An essay on "Importance of Media Literacy"
What is media literacy?
Media is electronic means and digital materials that transmit information and news through articles, scenes and videos. Radio, television, mobile phones, newspapers, the internet, etc. all belong to the media. The word literacy often refers to the ability to read and write. There is not much difference between (reading) literacy and media literacy, both are the same.
Simply telling, media literacy is the ability to analyze, critique and understand the news, information and messages that flow through the media. It is the ability to find out the truth by analyzing and evaluating the received news. The National Commission for Media Literacy in the United States has defined it more broadly as the ability to analyze, evaluate, and create media. John M. Culkin is the man who brought the provision of media literacy for the first time.
Need of media literacy in today's world
Today our world is moving at a very fast pace. The world is changing momentarily. Science and technology are performing more and more miracles today than ever before. Due to the development of science and technology, media and information technology have also become widespread.
In today's busy time, people of all ages, from children to the elderly and young to old, have started relying on the media to get quick information, information and messages. What to show in information, how to show, whose side to take is all in the hands of the media.
The media has the power to control our reality, our understanding, our emotions and to change it. It can have a detrimental effect on our personal lives, our social lives, our nation and our world. That is why media literacy is needed today to prevent false and factless news from dominating our minds.
Importance of Media Literacy
In this age of digital media and information technology, media literacy has become essential for every individual and country. Media literacy has become an essential thing for the world as mobile phones, televisions and the Internet has reached even the most remote places of the world. Therefore, media literacy is of great importance in this developing world.
Protects our democratic rights.
Media literacy protects our democratic right to know the truth by developing the ability to evaluate and analyze the false and factless news spread by the media.
Teaches us to be impartial.
It also teaches us to be impartial without taking sides based on false information in the media.
Guards our personal value, dignity and reputation.
As media literacy does not allow dignity to be tarnished based on factless information, it has become a guardian of our personal value, honour, dignity and reputation.
Helps in the preservation of culture.
The increasing use of media has brought immense distortions and negative effects on culture. World culture has fallen into the trap.
In such a situation, media literacy has become effective in the preservation of culture by making people aware of media misinformation.
Assists us know the truth and matters of national importance.
Misinformation provided by the government through the media violates our constitutional, democratic and civil rights to know the truth and matters of national importance. Media literacy motivates us to question, evaluate and criticize against it, which forces the government to answer our questions and demands, to tell the truth.
In this way, media literacy helps us to move towards the path of righteousness and towards the path of development.
Impact of fake media
Unfortunately, media literacy has not reached every corner of the world. Many people are deprived of media literacy. For the same reason, many people are falling into the trap of false news, believing untrue news to be true. Misleading news is being published day by day to which misleads people by showing false facts. Innocent people who can't distinguish the real and fake news are in trouble. Students are getting the wrong information which has negative impacts on their education.
Thus, false and misleading news is having a very bad effect on the whole World.
Conclusion:
Therefore, with the rapid development of media in the world and the increase in the publication of false and factless news, the people should be made aware to choose the right information, prevent wrongdoing in society, wrongdoing of any person or political party, world culture, tradition and social values and beliefs.
Some programs related to media literacy are conducted in the world as an effort to promote media literacy. Public awareness programs on media literacy have been conducted on radio and television. Media literacy skills have been taught through computer education at the school level. The government is also trying its best by making rules, laws and standards from its own level.
Nowadays children also have access to media so parents should also make their children aware of what media is, how it disseminates information and what kind of media is good, what kind of media is bad, what kind of news is true and what kind of news is false. If everyone tries their best, the light of media literacy can be spread all over World.