Unit 5 Study Guide: Media Literacy
Lesson Name & Number
Key Concepts
Answer the questions or fill in the blanks to explain each concept.
Lesson 3: Mass Media
What is media?
Media is any means of communication that reaches a wide audience, including newspapers, television, radio, and online platforms.
Mass Media is media intended to reach a very large audience.
Four Major Categories of Mass Media
| Category | Definition | Examples | |---------------------|----------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------| | Print Media | Traditional media that disseminates information through printed publications. | Newspapers, magazines, brochures | | Broadcast Media | Audio and video content transmitted over airwaves or cable. | Television, radio broadcasts | | Digital Media | Media that is created, stored, and distributed in digital formats. | Websites, social media, streaming services | | Outdoor Media | Advertisements and information displayed in public spaces. | Billboards, posters, transit advertising |
What is an example of a trend?
An example of a trend is the rapid increase of social media usage among teenagers and young adults.
To benefit from mass media, users must think critically about the validity of its information and the intent or bias the media is putting out there.
What questions can you ask to unlock themes and ideas conveyed in mass media?
- What message is the media trying to convey?
- Who is the intended audience?
- What perspectives are represented or missing?
- What is the purpose of the media? (to inform, persuade, entertain)
What are three visual techniques filmmakers often use?
- Camera angles
- Lighting
- Composition
Editing is the way that different shots are sequenced, or ordered.
What is an example of an editing technique?
Cutting, fading, or transitioning between scenes.
Sound effects help establish the mood, or atmosphere, of the media, as well as its tone, or attitude toward the content.
| Mode of Persuasion | Definition | Example | |------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------| | Ethos | Appeal based on the credibility or ethical character of the speaker or creator. | A commercial endorsed by a celebrity. | | Pathos | Appeal to emotion and feelings. | A charity ad showing the plight of animals. | | Logos | Appeal to logic and reason, using facts and evidence. | A debate presenting statistical evidence. |
Lesson 4: Techniques
What are some examples of visual media?
- Photographs
- Video clips
- Infographics
Bias or preference for a particular view can cause a content creator to pick and choose what to show based on their own perspective.
What is the goal of advertising?
The goal of advertising is to persuade consumers to purchase a product or service.
Media creators often manipulate images so that they show only the most appealing aspects of the item the company wants to sell.
The average American spends more than 11 hours each day interacting with media.
Analyzing the information included in a media message can help you understand whether the media is trustworthy.
What are influencers and what are they paid to do?
Influencers are individuals with a significant following on social media who are paid to promote products or services to their audience.
What should you consider when you know the creator of a media message’s purpose is to convince you of something?
Consider the credibility of the source, the evidence provided, the potential bias, and the emotional appeal used in the message.
How can you tell if a media source is biased?
Signs of bias may include the omission of key facts, sensationalism, loaded language, and one-sided arguments.
Lesson 5: Culture Transmission
The expression of similar ideas in the daily lives of the members of a group is called that group’s culture.
What are some ways a cultural group expresses its culture?
- Art and music
- Language and literature
- Traditions and rituals
When you encounter a piece of media, what questions should you ask to analyze the information critically and consider any cultural messages that it might convey, either directly or indirectly?
- What cultural values are represented?
- How are different groups portrayed?
- What messages are being communicated about identity and norms?
- Who benefits from this representation?
What happens when value is connected to a particular cultural group and they see something they value in the media?
They may feel validated and represented, which can strengthen their sense of identity and community.
Media persuades us by making us feel or think (and sometimes both) in response to content.
What are some techniques media can use to persuade an audience?
- Emotional appeals
- Testimonials
- Using statistics and facts to support claims
One of the most important jobs of the media is to inform the public.
Content creators make choices about what information to provide audiences. Often, these choices reflect the media source’s values and ideologies.
To analyze a particular media message, what questions can we ask about the source of the media and the information it conveys?
- Who created the content?
- What is the purpose of the message?
- Who funds the media source?
- Are there any potential conflicts of interest?
Lesson 6: Ethics
What is a code of ethics?
A code of ethics is a set of guidelines designed to help professionals conduct their business honestly and with integrity.
What are the things that we believe to be most important in life?
Values, principles, and beliefs.
What is mass communication?
Mass communication is the process of creating and delivering messages to a large audience through various media channels.
Understanding the differences between ethical and unethical behavior can help you decide whether media sources are worthy of your trust or not.
What is generative AI?
Generative AI refers to algorithms and models that create new content, such as text, images, or music, based on input data.
Ethical Problems with Using Generative AI
| Problem | Explanation | |------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | Not All AI is Created Equally | Variations in quality, accuracy, and ethical considerations depending on the AI model used. | | Everything is Not Always as It Seems | AI-generated content may deceive by appearing human-created but lacking authenticity. | | Sourcing vs. Plagiarizing | Ethical concerns around crediting AI outputs versus using them as one's own original work. | | Harmful AI | Potential for AI to produce misleading, harmful, or unethical content. |
What is attribution?
Attribution is the act of giving credit to the original creator of a work.
What is a citation?
A citation is a reference to the source of information or ideas used in a piece of writing or media.
When you pass off others’ original work as your own, it’s called plagiarism, and it’s against the law.
What is fair use?
Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders.
Public domain is the set of works and ideas owned by the public which can be used and copied by anyone.
What do copyright laws ensure?
Copyright laws ensure that creators have control over their original works and can benefit from them financially.
What are the purposes that fall under the fair use principle?
- Criticism or commentary
- News reporting
- Teaching or scholarship
- Parody
What factors should be considered to make sure an original work is used in an ethical way?
- The purpose of the use (commercial vs. educational).
- The nature of the original work (factual vs. creative).
- The amount of the work used.
- The effect of the use on the market value of the original work.
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