Making the case for compulsory media education

Traynor, Kerry ORCID: 0000-0001-8180-303X (2020) Making the case for compulsory media education. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, 35 (5). pp. 518-524.

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Abstract

Rapid dissemination of fake news; amplification of harmful conspiracy theories; covert propaganda; election interference; threats to democracy; clandestine surveillance; data theft; enablement of online incivility, trolling, hate speech, abuse and radicalisation; underage access to pornography and other explicit and harmful content; addiction to online gambling, gaming and social media; cause and exacerbation of mental health problems, depression, suicide, obesity; unprecedented global market concentration; exploitation of digital labour; the collapse of the high street; damaging representations of, well, nearly everybody ... There are not many social ills that ‘the media’, particularly digital media, has not been blamed for, one way or another, in recent years. Of course, there are more positive aspects to ‘the media’. It continues to entertain us, educate us, inform us, connect us and unite us. Today more than ever, digital media has enabled many of us to work, learn, party and even protest remotely. It is a defining feature of the digital age. One would think, then, that critical study of ‘the media’ would be central to our compulsory education systems. Surely, the case for helping young people (and the wider population) develop a critical understanding of the institutions, industries, policies, regulations and practices that shape ‘the media’ and the texts that we watch, read, listen to, post, tweet, like, share and otherwise engage with has never been stronger.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Media education, Media studies, Fake news, Manifesto, algorithm
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	03 Sep 2020 10:10
Last Modified:	18 Jan 2023 23:35
DOI:	10.1177/0267323120953930
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3099713