MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY
Lesson 1: What is Media?
WHAT IS MEDIA?
● comes from the word medium which is defined
as "channel” “medium” or method.
● used to communicate information. This
"information" goes beyond what we call news or
events that are of public interest.
● Refers to the combination of physical objects
used to communicate or mass communication
through physical objects such as radio, television,
computers, or film, etc.
● It also refers to any physical object used to
communicate media messages.
● Media are a source of credible and current
information.
FUNCTIONAL LITERACY, EDUCATION, AND MASS MEDIA
SURVEY (FLEMMS OF PSA)
● In 2015, there were 44.2 million internet users in
the country.
● The Philippines ranked 2nd in Southeast Asia
(next to Indonesia), spending an average of 6.3
hours per day online.
WHAT IS INFORMATION?
● A broad term that can cover data, knowledge
derived from study, experience, or instruction,
signals or symbols.
● often used to describe knowledge of specific
events or situations that has been gathered or
received by communication, intelligence or news.
WHAT IS LITERACY?
● It is a set of skills that includes the ability to read
with comprehension and write simple message.
● It is the ability to identify, understand, interpret,
create, communicate, and compute, using
printed and written materials associated with
varying contexts.
MEDIA LITERACY
● It is the ability to read, analyze, evaluate and
produce communication in a variety of media
forms.
● This involves understanding and using mass
media in either assertive or nonassertive way,
including an informed and critical understanding
of media, what techniques they employ and their
effects
INFORMATION LITERACY
● It is the ability to recognize when information is
needed and to locate, evaluate, effectively use,
and communicate information in its various
format.
TECHNOLOGY (DIGITAL) LITERACY
● It is the ability to use digital technology,
communication tools or networks to locate,
evaluate, use and create information.
MASS MEDIA
● Medium of communication that is designed to
reach large audiences.
DAVID BUCKINGHAM
Media do not merely communicate information;
● Media also filter and shape information for
specific purposes.
● Media decide which information the audience
receives and in what manner.
● Media act as distorted mirrors to reality rather
than being a window to the world (Graaf, 2013)
CATEGORIES OF MEDIA
1. MODALITY - text, audio, video graphics, and
animation
2. FORMAT - digital or analog
3. WAY OF TRANSMITTING - electromagnetic or radio
waves, light waves.
4. MASS MEDIA FORM - print, broadcast, new media
FORMS OF MEDIA
PRINT
● Print media refers to paper publications.
● Print media is considered the oldest form of
media.
● According to the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Philippine press
"played [a] critical role in the nation's quest for
freedom and independence" (Tuazon, 2015).
Examples: Newspapers, books, magazines, newsletters,
journals, brochures, posters, flyers, banners and
billboards.
BROADCAST
● Broadcast media initially used the airwaves to
reach their audience.
● Nowadays, radio and television both use direct
satellite broadcasting, which helps them reach
audiences worldwide ("Broadcasting," 2016).
UNESCO DEFINED MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY
● a set of competencies that empowers citizens to
access, retrieve, understand, evaluate and use,
create, as well as share information and media
content in all formats, using various tools, in a
critical, ethical and effective way, in order to
participate and engage in personal, professional
and societal activities“ ("Media and Information
Literacy," 2013)

Examples: Television media and radio.

NEW MEDIA

● New media is composed of media that use digital

technologies like the Internet to distribute or
exhibit content (Manovich, 2006).
● Producers of print media and broadcast media
have increasingly relied on new media as a
platform because it helps them gain a wider
audience and because more and more people
are now using new media as a means of
communication.

Examples: Social medias like Facebook, Youtube, and

WordPress. Blogs, websites, and streaming media.

FUNCTIONS OF MEDIA

1. Media act as channels of information and

knowledge through which citizens communicate
with each other and make informed decisions.
2. Media facilitate informed debates between
diverse social actors.
3. Media provide us with much of what we learn
about the world beyond our immediate
experience.
4. Media are means by which a society learns about
itself and builds a sense of community.
5. Media function as a watchdog of government in
all its forms, promoting transparency in public
life and public scrutiny of those with power
through exposing corruption, maladministration,
and corporate wrong-doing.
6. Media are essential facilitators of democratic
processes and one of the guarantors of free and
fair elections.
7. Media are vehicle for cultural expression and
cultural cohesion within and between nations.
8. Media function as an advocate and social actor in
its own right while respecting pluralistic values.
MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY
Lesson 2: Evolution of Media
TECHNOLOGICAL DETERMINISIM
HISTORY OF MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION
● A theory that believes technology is a steering
factor in how a society develops its structure and
values.
● Explained that society adapts to advances in
technology, thus changing cultural, political and
even historical aspects of that society.
● Media are critical forces or compelling influences
that shape how an individual think, feel, and act
and how societies organize themselves and
operate.
MARSHALL MCLUHAN
● Renowned Canadian communication theorist
from the University of Toronto provide a clear
story on how media evolved.
● Proponent of media theory on technological
determinism. He subdivided the history of media
evolution in four ages: Tribal age, Literacy age,
Print Age, and Electronic Age.
FOUR AGES OF MEDIA EVOLUTION
TRIBAL AGE
● Hearing as the predominant and most valuable
sense of reception.
● Early human ancestors relied heavily on their
sense of hearing to hunt for food and to stay
alert from danger.
● Oral communication prevailed, primarily through
their auditory senses.
● Since information is passed only through oral
communication, people stuck to their tribe to
avoid exclusion in the tribe’s communication
process
LITERACY AGE
● Sense of sight was dominant. Literacy age was
highly visual. It lessens the role of the other
senses of the human body.
● Invention of alphabet emerges, allowing humans
to learn to read.
● Members of the tribes from the previous age
were pushed from their groups, becoming more
visual and rational. Instead of living in a magical
world formed by myths and rituals ( using chants
and songs to express and show emotions.)
● 3,200 BCE in Mesopotamia and 600 BCE in
Mesoamerica, arose from the need to indicate
quantity or numbers for recordkeeping.
● humans first counted and communicated
quantity using their fingers.
● To record other things and concepts, humans
began to draw on caves and animal skin. Earliest
form of writings are Egyptian hieroglyphics and
photographic writing systems by the Chinese
● Archaeological accounts corroborate Biblical
passages about the Persians using messengers on
horses to reach more people over great distances
faster. – “pony express”
Laguna Copperplate Inscription
● It is the earliest known calendar-dated document
found within the Philippine Islands.
● Found in 1989 by a laborer near the mouth of
the Lumbang River in Wawa, Lumban, Laguna,
Philippines.
PRINT AGE
● Printing press was invented (meaning
mass-producing written text.)
● It gave humans the liberty to read at their own
pace and to share them with others.
● Highlighted by the invention of the Guttenberg
press or movable type in the 15th century.
● In 1582, printed news sheets appeared in the
Ming Dynasty Court in Beijing.
● In 17th century, the cost of printing technology
lowered for books and reading materials and
modern newspaper was invented in Europe.
● block-printed handbills commemorating events
were sold in Japanese cities.
● Industrial Age – 18th to 19th century, modern
magazines were invented.
ELECTRONIC AGE
● Characterized by the dominance of the electric
media, such as telegraph, radio, film, telephone,
computer and television.
● For McLuhan, the invention of the telegraph in
1830s started an electronic revolution that
diminished the role of the print media.
● The communication technology at this time led
humans to instantly connect to each other even
in great distances.
● A force that turned the planet into global village,
where people are all globally connected.
In addition to the media map of history are two other
time periods not covered in McLuhan’s periodization.
1. Information Age or New Media
● It is the recent decades blossomed with the
invention of computers and the internet.
● Everything relied heavily in the use of computers
to run major industries.
● Information was utilized based on personal
needs and motivations.
● Global communication and networking were
enhanced.
● Digitally produced as interactive and requires at
least a two way communication.
TRADITIONAL MEDIA
● Transmit information without the use of the
Internet or any digital platform.
● information goes from the sender to the receiver.
● Has control when information can be accessed
with their program grids and schedules.
● Companies operates within clear geo-political
borders.
● Function within the concept of self-regulation
rather than direct government control.
DIGITAL MEDIA

2. Infrastructure Age ● Digital and internet is a big part of it.

● There is more involvement in the cyberspace. ● Information are delivered through digital devices
● Internet banking transactions and online ● on-demand and interactive
purchases are proofs to this. ● allow for a true multi-directional flow of
information
Examples: car with global positioning system built with it, ● Allow conversation
a railway system which runs digitally, or even simple ● Allowed people to access information when they
appliances or gadgets at home can be controlled using want, where they want.
the internet. ● Information travels so quickly and regulation is
not observed much.
HISTORY OF INTERNET

Innovations that became ways of communication

● film (1890s)
● radio (1895)
● television (1927)

THE HISTORY OF INTERNET

1960s
- Innovation of computer began and that is when
the idea of internet started

1980s
- British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee
invented the World Wide Web

Mid-1990s
- The internet boomed and has become a fixture
of any modern society.

● In the summer of 2016, the United Nations

Human Rights Council released a non-binding
document condemning the intentional disruption
of internet access by governments.

● This followed the 2011 report by Frank LaRue,

the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and
protection of the right of freedom of opinion and
expression, that Internet access is a fundamental
human right.
MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY
Lesson 3: Information Literacy
INFORMATION, DATA, and KNOWLEDGE
DATA - refer to unstructured facts and figures that create
the least impact on the receiver.
● Data becomes information when they are
contextualized, categorized, calculated, and
condensed.
INFORMATION - processed data, knowledge derived
from study, experience, or instruction, signals, or
symbols.
● Is data organized with relevance and purpose,
made meaningful by a person.
KNOWLEDGE - refers to the human understanding of a
subject matter derived from experience, learning, and
thinking.
KNOWLEDGE > INFORMATION> DATA
THE BIG 6 MODEL
● It is a set of steps that summarizes the processes
involved in information literacy.
● A pioneering model which was believed as the
simplest and easiest cycle to understand
● Developed by Michael Eisenberg and David
Berkowitz in the year 2000.
TYPES OF INFORMATION
SCHOLARLY - information drawn from the research of
field experts.
● Information comes from academic sources.
● Created by experts whose works have been
peer-reviewed before being made public.
Expert - someone whose credentials are recognized of a
particular field.
Peer-Review - one’s findings or research is evaluated by
fellow experts.
PROFESSIONAL/TRADE - current news and trends about
specific industry presented to experts and enthusiasts
with knowledge in the field.
● Do not have to be peer-reviewed.
● They are exposed to higher level of scrutiny.
ENTERTAINMENT/POPULAR - meant for the general
population
● May use some entertaining hooks to catch
attention or to be easily understood.
● Derived from a discussion of other people’s
work.
OPINION - viewpoint, judgement, or statement that is
not conclusive.
● Will vary from a person to person and will not be
thoroughly resolved.
PROVIDERS OF INFORMATION
ACADEMIC INSTITUTION
● Schools, colleges, and universities that offer
academic degrees.
● Dedicated to education and research
● They continually seek knowledge from
themselves and for their community.
● The wealth of information they hold can be
harnessed from their classroom
● Their source of fund are local and international
organizations and benefactors.
Private Academic Institutions - founded primarily
through tuition fees and private donations.
State Universities - largely supported by the government.
GOVERNMENT INSTITUTION
● Organization under the government.
● Responsible of a specific function.
● They gather and disseminate information to build
a well-informed citizens.
● They are accountable to the people
● The taxes we pay help fund the government
agencies.
Examples: experts in specific field, Civil Service Exam
passers, go through an appointment, and by election.
PRIVATE SECTOR
● Includes businesses, organizations that are not
owned or operated by the government.
● Provide goods and services
● Competition pushes them to improve their
products and information.
 PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS INFORMATION AND LITERACY SKILLS

● Those who do not represent another person,
corporation, or group.
● Must be motivated to tell the truth, to help, and
do the right thing when giving an information.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
PRIMARY SOURCES - original, first-hand.
● Hasn’t been interpreted, analyzed, condensed, or
changed.
● Close as possible to the event, subject, original
idea, or the findings.
● Determine the extent of information needed
● Access the needed information effectively and
efficiently
● Evaluate information and its source critically
● Incorporate selected information into one’s
knowledge base
● Use information effectively to accomplish a
specific purpose
● Understand the economic, legal, and social issues
surrounding the use of information
● Access and use information ethically and legally

Examples: artifcats, diaries and autobiographies, official

and original documents, audio and video recordings.

SECONDARY SOURCES - comments on, analyzes, or

tackles primary source.
● Written by someone.
● Reviewed, organized or interpreted with the help
of other secondary sources.

Examples: newspaper article, textbooks, and biographies

TERTIARY SOURCES - refer to a primary or secondary

source.
● Overview of the topic, rarely contains original
material.
● Involve information that collects, organizes, and
summarizes the primary and secondary sources.

Examples: encyclopedia, guidebooks, and yearbooks.

JOURNALISM CODES

ON THE RECORD - identity is fully known.

● Contains about how the source obtained the
information.
● The entire statement is saved on verifiable
record.

ON THE BACKGROUND - from an anonymous source but

there are clues.
● Non-attributable information
● Information is strengthened when verified
through other sources.

DEEP BACKGROUND - cannot be identified at all

OFF THE RECORD - information may not be used at all.