Media Literacy: Can the audience set the media agenda?
Mimi Doran (University College Dublin)
Abstract
The ideas discussed in this research paper outline the impact of media literacy on community activists. It discusses the route taken by a minority community group to becoming media literate and getting heard in the media.
This work originates from work with postgraduate students in the Equality Studies Centre, University College Dublin (UCD) (students are also activists for equality issues in Ireland and internationally) who wanted to be develop greater levels of media literacy and empowerment. They described a sense of mystification about how the media operate and were highly sceptical about its possible contribution to greater equality in society in the light of the ever-expanding global reach of commercial media. In response, we developed the Equality and the Media module in (continual) consultation with students in 2006-7 and 2007-8. This module examined the representation of equality in the media and the potential role for the audience through media literacy and citizen journalism. It develops activists’ knowledge of media literacy by critically studying how and why the media operates. The module attempts to develop critical thinking about media literacy, alongside practical workshops about how to access and perform on different media platforms.
The role of new media technology played a central role in the module and seems to open important pathways for producers and audience alike. Crucially, new technologies and ways of working also open up important spaces and routes to access the media. The ease of new media technology like the internet and digital photography is blurring the gap between media production and consumption. For activists, this opens up important spaces to create media content and communicate with a wider audience. With knowledge, know how and technology anyone can become a citizen journalist and this has huge impact on power relations within the media. The successful use of new media by the Zapatista movement in Mexico showcases how grass roots activism can reach a global audience (Castells 1997). Successful campaigns such as the ‘Battle for Seattle’ against the World Trade Organisation and the anti-war against Iraq protests have shown how activists can mobilise successfully by fostering new media (Kahn and Douglas 2004). New media as a site for social action is where minorities and rights based groups can congregate and mobilize in a non-hierarchal environment. The shift in power relations of new media is where emancipatory potential lies, creating possibilities for revitalizing the public sphere. This paper outlines a media literacy action research case study that documents the journey an Irish minority community group took in an attempt to get their voice heard, create public awareness, influence policy and make changes.
