MEDIA LITERACY PERSPECTIVES

Media literacy education involves cognitive processes used in critical thinking. Media workshops and curricula emphasize moral values (the d efensive inoculation approach), discriminating responsiveness (the cri tical viewer), antimedia resistance, and consumer revolution. Inductiv e media literacy programs promote independent critical thinking. Media content is a limited predictor of potential effects of media exposure . Meaning is situated in what audiences bring to their media experienc e (selective perception), the context in which they use media (accomod ation), and how and why they use the medium (uses and gratifications). To succeed, a curricular program of media literacy requires collabora tion among teachers, administrators, specialists, and parents.