MODULE 12A:

LESSON 1:
TEXT INFORMATION AND MEDIA
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
1. Describe the different dimensions of text information and media
2. Analyze how the different dimensions are formally and informally produced,
organized, and disseminated.
3. Evaluate a creative multimedia form (living museum, electronic portfolio, others);
4. Produce a creative text-based, visual-based, audio-based, motion-based, and
manipulative-based presentation using design principle and element;

At the end of this module the learners, should be able to:

1. describe the different dimensions of text information and media;
2. comprehend how text information and media is/are formally and informally produced,
organized, and disseminated;
3. evaluate the reliability and validity of text information and media and its/ their sources
using selection criteria.
4. produce and evaluates a creative text-based presentation using design principle and
elements.

TEXT INFORMATION AND MEDIA

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."

-Benjamin Franklin

Text is everywhere, in the books we read, in the signs on the street, on the items we buy, on food menus,
in computing, in mathematics, in science, in designing, on billboards, on everyday objects, and on just
basically everywhere! There is art behind all that text information, and this text information has great power
in media as long as we can design good-looking text, then attracting people would not be a problem anymore.
Awesome text design is a major player when it comes to being influential in media.

I. DEFINITION, CHARACTERISTICS, FORMAT AND TYPES, SOURCES, ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS,

AND VALUE

A. Definition.

Text is a sequence of characters and the words that they form that can be encoded into formats
that can be read by the computer, such as the ASCII format (Rouse, What is text?, 2005).

B. Characteristics.

Text is an easily forgettable media, since it really isn't anything special and can be seen
everywhere. Contrary to popular belief however, text is a very important aspect of expression. The
common multimedia system uses a combination of text and other media in order to make the system
useful in a practical sense. Text can also be used together with images for accessibility purposes just in
case the digital image is not available (Smith).

A text's quality is affected by its content, structure and language, which represents how
information appears in a text and the ways in which the information are related and presented
(NZTecAdmin, 2012).

C. Format and Types.

There are many text format types that can be used and consist of configurable text data. Some
of the commonly used text formats are Arbitrary Text, RTF, Formatted, Enum, and Identifier Type
(Microsoft).

D. Sources.

Text has many different sources, but the most common sources of text are printed newspapers,
posters, research papers, journals, tweets or other social media textual outputs. Text can be produced by
various text editing software, some of the more common text editing software are Notepad++ and
Windows Microsoft Word.

E. Advantages and Limitations.

Text media can be used to induce a deep emotional response, and make people act. In order to
induce an emotional response, it is important to keep the text heavy and allow it to stir up your reader's
imagination. Simple text messages compliment images very well, while complex text messages are good
when used with even more text in order to give more control to the text. Text also allows you to choose

Media and Information Literacy – Text Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 2
 every single word, and with the right skill, this would give the writer more control and more ways to
convey a difficult or complex message (Cuneo, 2014).

F. Value.

To understand the value of text, we must first understand what typography is. Typography is
how text looks, which is the total result of the font used, its size, the line length, the line spacing, the style
of characters chosen, and the presence and arrangement of punctuation. Typography makes up of every
element in a composition, from its paragraphs to its headings, to lists, navigations, to forms, and even
more (Brown, 2014). Typography is really important, and this means that how text is used in any design
is equally as important. A good designer knows how to utilize text so that it may attract people for
various reasons (Groulx, 2014).

IL. TEXT AS VISUAL

Text can also be used as visuals, in this case, we call these kinds of texts Visual Texts. Visual texts are
texts that are created using still or moving images, so basically, they are just images with some text with more
emphasis on the text. Visual texts sometimes have words, but at other times they are just images telling a story.
Some of the common media of visual text are televisions, films, advertisements, billboards, the internet, computer
games, and art works such as paintings, drawings, sculptures, architecture, book covers, and illustrations.

Visual texts can help in understanding the images and words in the context where it is being used by
conveying more information to the reader. All visual texts are influenced by the culture, values, ideologies and
world views of the place where they are created. So for example, if a visual text would be created in the
Philippines, then it would be wise to incorporate the Philippine culture into the visual text to increase the size
of the target audience. Some more examples include, a family photo in your home versus a family portrait in a
magazine or an artists' impression versus a housing agent's view of an HDB (Housing Development Board)
estate.

Different elements that can be found in most visual texts:

 Images
 Colors
 Words, which includes the title, headlines, and captions
 Typographical Features, which is made up of the type of font used and its size
 Layout, which is the spatial arrangement of different elements in a text

Images that are used in visual texts are usually made up of people, animals or objects performing an
action, flowcharts, maps or labeled images showing a concept or an idea, or symbols or icons. The following
visual text is conveying a concept or an idea, and its desire is to show the unity between young and old and
between different races.

When placing words onto the visual text, we should consider which audience the words are aimed at
and what the message we are trying to convey is.

Three ways to understand the words in text:

1. literal
2. inferential
3. evaluative methods

Words makeup of the following:

1. title - which is the main topic
2. headline - which is the main statement that conveys the main message and is usually the text
in the largest and boldest font,
3. captions - which is the typed text under images that explains the image in more or less one
sentence.
The typographical features of a visual text in a nutshell, are the font types and sizes used in the text.
These features determine the reading paths of the reader through the use of capital letters, font size, boldface,
or anything that can be used to produce emphasis.

The layout of the visual text is how the elements in the text are placed in order to influence the meaning
of the image.

Media and Information Literacy – Text Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 3
 Two types of placements of text elements:
1. the top/bottom placement - this kind of placement's top contains the 'attention grabber, the bottom
contains new information.
2. the left/right placement - this placement's left side contains information that is supposed to be
understood, while its right side presents the new information.

Keep in mind that these two kinds of placements are not the only placements available, and if creative,
then the artist may wish to create his own placement in order to achieve his purpose and affect the creators'
wish to achieve (Sharon, 2013).

III. SELECTION CRITERIA

Once you have located the text that you have been looking for, you have to remember that not everything
you see or read is based on the truth, and this is where the selection criteria for text come in. You need to be
selective and choose the text that is most appropriate to what you are looking for and not stop after one or three
searches, since the first source you find is not necessarily the best.

It is important to evaluate every information source. Consequently, Califomia State University at Chico
(CSU Chico) has developed a test that determines if the information is reliable. This test is called the CRAAP
test.

The CRAAP test consists of the following criteria:

Currency

Relevance

Authority

Accuracy

Purpose

These criteria can apply to all resources, and especially to resources that come from web sites.

https://library.csuchico.edu/sites/default/files/craap-test.pdf

Media and Information Literacy – Text Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 4
 Currency. This criterion deals with the timeliness of the information. This criterion is extremely
important especially when it comes to wanting to get the most recent information on a subject matter
to make your study more relevant.

Questions to ask [from CSU Chico]:

 When was the information published, or posted?
 Has the information been revised or updated?
 Is the information current or out-of-date for your topic?
 Are the links functional? (for Web sites)

Additional Questions:
• Is there even a date on the item?
• For most library resources, a publication date will be printed, but for Web sites, it may be
difficult to determine the date of the information. Look at the references cited (if there are
any).
• How recent are these studies?

It is best to have the most recent information available, but not if you will sacrifice the other criteria.

Relevance. This criterion asks you if the text that you have found is what you were looking for and
answers the questions that you had in mind at the time of the search.

Questions to ask [from CSU Chico]:

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your
needs)?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
• Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?
Additional Questions:
• Is the information credible or logical?
• Is there supporting evidence?
• Is there a list of references used?
• Are there links to other credible sources?
• Is it written in a style that you can understand?

Authority. This is a really important criterion, it involves going to the source of the work and asking
who the author or authors are and checking if the people who wrote it have the right qualifications in
terms of academic degrees, professional experience, or affiliations to gauge the author's or authors'
skills.
Questions to ask [from CSU Chico]:
• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
• What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?
Examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net --- (domains)
 .edu - Educational sites. Generally, an educational site can be trusted. Colleges and
universities will have certain criteria established before a page gets published. But
not always!
 .gov - government agency. Again, information on a .gov site should be valid. But not
always!
 .com - Commercial site. Anyone can get a .com domain. If it's a company site, the
purpose may be to sell something. Pay attention to the domain extension in order to
evaluate the information found there.
Additional Questions:
• Does the item even list an author or responsible party? If so, does it give information about
the author?
 For Web sites, it is often difficult to find an author or a party responsible for the
information.
• For Web sites, does an institution support the site?
 Is it a university, research institute, or government agency?
 Is it a reputable institution?
 Is there any bias inherent to this institution's mission?

 If an internet site, note the address (whose server is it on? the institution's? or free
network server?)
• Does the research cite any sources? If so, is the full citation given for any studies cited?
 Are these sources reputable?

Media and Information Literacy – Text Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 5
 Accuracy. This criterion checks on the reliability, validity, and truth of the found text.
Questions to ask [from CSU Chico]:
• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose. This criterion evaluates and asks "Why does this information exist?" This information is
important in order to correctly utilize the content that you have found.

Questions to ask [from CSU Chico]:

• What is the purpose of the information? To inform? Teach? Sell? Entertain? Persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact? Opinion? Propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

There are many online resources that exist with the sole intention of tricking you into believing that
their consent is real. It is important to check any suspicious resources in order to avoid hoax sites (Old
Dominion University, 2013),

IV. DESIGN PRINCIPLE AND ELEMENTS

The readability of the text affects how you would process the information. Bad or poor readability just
scares away the readers, but good readability on the other hand, attracts readers and increases their interest
in the text.

A. ELEMENTS OF GOOD TEXTUAL DESIGN IN MEDIA.

1. Hierarchy.

This defines how to read through the content. It shows the user were to start reading and where to read
through. Headers should be differentiated from the body of the text. Headers of a body must always be bigger
than the body of the text. Headers may also have different colors in order to differentiate them, but the size
must be emphasized. Mastering this technique would help achieve more readable text media.

2. Contrast.

This is a core factor in determining whether a text is easy to read or not. Text
with good contrast with the background is much easier and faster to read and does
not cause much strain on the eyes.

An example of good contrast is the text that uses black text on a white
surface. This standard is very readable. If the color of the text and the surface are
similar, then it will be extremely difficult to read the text.

3. Line Height.

This refers to the space between the lines of text. Line

height affects the readability of the text. The appropriate line
height should be used in text, if the line height is too short,
then users may have difficulty reading each line, and if it is
too big, then each line might seem like a different paragraph
and separate.

http://www.myfirstfont.com/glossary.html

Media and Information Literacy – Text Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 6
4. Letter Spacing.

This affects the readability of the text. Letter spacing is the space
letter spacing is the space between each letter in words. Negative Bonjour
is used to add more fun to the text, but it should never be used in the body
of the text.

https://www.templatemonster.com/blog/leading-kerning-tracking-difference/

5. Line Length.

This factor is often overlooked in Web typography. Line length is the number of words per line. Good line
length will allow the reader to flow from the end of one line to the beginning of the next easily and naturally.

B. PRINCIPLES OF GOOD TEXTUAL DESIGN

1. User-Friendly Headers.
Headers are important elements in any text. Headers should not be
too big or too small and should keep the flow of the text smooth. Headers
should always be bigger than their bodies. There should also be some space
between the header and the body of the text.

https://www.tutorialrepublic.com/html-tutorial/html-headings.php

2. Scannable Text.
Scannable text and readable text are closely related. Text that is easily scannable consists of very good
content flow that guides the user through the content with ease. So, what makes a text scannable? Size and
position of the headers, size of the text in the body, line height, contrast, and the way focus points are
differentiated all impact how scannable a text is. Focus points are objects within the text that are supposed to
attract the user's attention.

3. White Space.
White space helps to offset or balance large amounts of text
and helps the user's eyes flow through the text with ease. White
space can also be used to separate the different elements in the
layout.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Traditional_spacing_examples_digitalized_from_the_1911_Chicago_Manual_of_Style.png

Media and Information Literacy – Text Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 7
4. Consistency.
Font size, color and style of the elements in the layout must be uniform in order to organize the content
and improve usability and readability.

5. Density of Text.
This refers to the amount of words present in a particular area and is affected by line height, letter spacing,
and text size. It is important to find a balance between all of these so that the content is not too compact or too
widely spaced in order make the text more readable and scannable.

6. Emphasis on Important Elements.

Bolding or italicizing important text attracts the user's eyes to important information and would make
the text more scannable.

Within a larger body of text, a piece in italics does not stand out much; instead, it signifies a context
difference only while the text is being read. By contrast, a single word in boldface attracts the human eyeball
and is therefore recommended for keywords the reader might be looking for.

Within a larger body of text, a

piece in italics does not stand
out much; instead, it signifies
a context difference only while
the text is being read. By
contrast, a single word in
boldface attracts the human
eyeball and is therefore
recommended for keywords
the reader might be looking
for.

Difference between Boldface and Italics

7. Organization of Information.
Organizing the content of the any layout will contribute to the readability of the text and makes
information within a text easier to find.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life%27s_more_fun_when_you_are_organized.jpg

8. Clean Graphical Implementation.

Text bodies sometimes need visual support be it an image, icon, graph or illustration. Placements of
these visual supports are very important. If placing an image, then a clean border is a good way to provide
clean separation. Borders are good for separating images and text, but they have to be kept simple. Space
and not borders should be used when using icons and illustrations. The graphics should not interfere with
the flow of the text.

9. Use of Separators.
The use of separators divides text into sections in a clean and organized manner. Separators can be
a thin line, white space, or even text boxes.

10. Good Margins.

Margins in the form of white space improve the readability of text and separate content. Good margins
help define the article and its separations. The use of margins also improves the organization of the text
(Cronin, 2009).

Media and Information Literacy – Text Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 8
 Did you know?
l. Serif fonts are most commonly used in print publishing and digital and web applications
for large-sized fonts. Sans serifs are the standard for digital design and are preferred
online. Sans serifs are used from the smallest of typefaces to the largest with eases
2. The Old English font type category is the oldest and considered to be the most
recognizable style.
3. Good web typography improves user experience.

References:
Abadiano, Mark N., 2018. Media and Information Literacy Second Edition. Cronica Bookhaus
Burdeos, Maria Luisa K. et. al, 2017. Think, Click and Share, A comprehensive Worktext in Media
and Information Literacy for Senior High School. SoLine Publishing Company Inc
Yuvienco, Joel C.,2017. Media and Information Literacy Being a B.E.S.T. Digital Citizen for Senior
High School. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Zarate, Maria Jovita E., 2016. Media and Information Literacy. Rex Bookstore, Inc.

https://library.csuchico.edu/sites/default/files/craap-test.pdf
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangramma#/media/File:Times_New_Roman_sample.svg
https://www.templatemonster.com/blog/leading-kerning-tracking-difference/
https://www.tutorialrepublic.com/html-tutorial/html-headings.php
http://www.myfirstfont.com/glossary.html
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Traditional_spacing_examples_digitalized_from_the_1911
_Chicago_Manual_of_Style.png
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life%27s_more_fun_when_you_are_organized.jpg
https://mb.com.ph/2020/05/28/education-must-continue-deped-sec-briones/

Media and Information Literacy – Text Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 9
Media and Information Literacy – Text Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 10