Chapter I.

Introduction to Media and Information Literacy

1.3-4 editorializes the value of being a media and information literate individual/Identify
characteristics or describe responsible uses and competent producers of media and information.

Producing Media and Information

Consumption and delivery are part of the common definitions used by several authors about Media and
Information. Now all definition of media and information include production, because of the notion that
the majority of the audience are receivers of messages and not creators of messages.

According to Livingstone (2004), content creation is easier than ever, because same technology can be
easily used for sending and receiving.

According to Beeson (2005), it is recognized that the Web began to develop as a global forum for
conversations and we witness an explosive growth of online publishing, with an increasing number of
writers.

Responsible Use of Media and Information

With the explosive growth of publishers online, there are publishers who create and share information
that are unverified and incomplete. These are types of information that we should not be sharing online
because these cause confusion online. This type of information includes hoax, satirical news, and false
news and information.

Sharing your address, contact number and bank account number is risky and should be avoided to
protect yourself online from harm and identity theft.

Possible Consequences for Misbehaving Online

 Suspension of Job - whenever you’re carrying your company you may be suspended or worst
you may lose your job.

 Deletion of account - if the entirety of the account is against the terms and regulations of the
social site, your account will be completely deleted.

 Online Harassment - unfavorable behavior online may lead to online harassment.

Irresponsible Behavior Online

Making derogatory comments about individuals or organizations
Sharing confidential information about others
Sharing sexually explicit, racist, homophobic or inflammatory material
Flaming or trolling ¨C deliberately provoking arguments
Making allegations about others
Digital Footprints

A digital footprint is the data trail left by an individual¡¯s interactions online; thus, this data is a public
record and can be accessed by anyone for whatever purpose.

A digital footprint is a public record of:

 What you said

 What was said about you
 What you liked, retweeted or shared
 Where you are or have been

Also, there are less public information, but something that everybody should be aware of. These
includes the following:

 What you’ve clicked on

 What you’ve searched for
 Your IP (Internet Protocol) address
 Digital footprints are often used for marketing purposes - creating new marketing strategies -
because these information are able to support the plans created by the marketing people.

Verification of a Job Applicant¡¯s profile. Information online are used by the Human Resource personnel
to further authenticate the information relayed by the applicants.

Since these type of information are easily accessed, it also makes it easy for anybody to impersonate or
commit fraud using someone else’s personal information.

Digital Content
Digital content are products that are available in digital form meaning these are found online. This may
include music, information and images that are readily available for download or distribution on online
media.

Digital content is anything published online. If you are on the internet, most likely you are looking at,
watching, or listening to a piece of digital content according to Mullan (2011).

Digital content has the following purpose:

 To entertain - having a strong emotional appeal to an audience

 To educate - to let the audience know about the products or services
 To persuade - slightly more emotionally charged; content that changes the mind of the
consumers
 To convert - content that triggers the decision-making process of the brain
 Types of Digital Media

There are three types of digital media:

Paid Media - closely associated with advertising and is the most traditional type of digital media
Earned Media - referred to as online word of mouth
Owned Media - any media that is controlled directly by you

Content Creation

Creating content online has some similarities in developing your speech. You need to know your
audience to whom you targeted to send the message across. Their general age, gender, education level,
religion, and culture are some of the things you need to consider in your audience.

The audience plays a vital role in content creation. Research helps the content producer determine the
kind of approach you are going to apply on your content and the channel which you are going to use to
publish your content.

Research helps you find out what is the most shared content for your audience. This will also help you
look for popular and current subjects that is relevant to the kind of message you will convey according
to Pring (2012).

Online Source’s Credibility

According to the University of Wisconsin in USA, there are six ways to tell if a website is credible:
 Author. Information on the internet with a listed author is an indication of a credible site.
 Date. Date of any research information is important, including information found on the
internet. It allows readers to know if the information is recent enough.
 Sources. Books and scholarly articles should cite the source of the information presented.

Domain. Domains such as .com, .org, and .net can be used by any individual. The domain .edu is for
colleges and universities, while .gov for a government website. Be careful with .org because this is
usually used by non-profit organizations which may have an agenda online.

Site Design. This can be very subjective. A well-design site can be an indication of more reliable
information.

Writing Style. Poor spelling and grammar are an indication that the site may not be credible.

The internet can be a hotbed of inaccurate information. Look for the creator or writer of the website or
article in particular. If you find that it is written by an expert in the field or that site is published by a
major association, then the information is accurate according to McCormick.

Citing Sources

According to MIT Libraries, it is important to cite sources you used in your research for several reasons:

To show your reader you¡¯ve done proper research by listing sources you used to get your information
To be a responsible scholar by giving credit to other researchers and acknowledging their ideas
To avoid plagiarism by quoting words and ideas used by other authors
To allow your reader to track down the sources you used by citing them accurately in your paper
Copyrights

According to the Intellectual Property Code, copyright is the legal protection to the owner of the rights
in an original work.

Original work refers to every production in the literary, scientific, and artistic domain which includes
books, films, paintings, photographs.