INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA AND

INFORMATION LITERACY
 To understand more the concept of
communication, let us start by
looking at the origin of the word and
its definition. The root of the word
“communication” in Latin is
communicare, which means to
THE ROLE OF share, or to make common
MEDIA IN THE (Weekley, 1967). Furthermore,
COMMUNICATION communication is defined as the
PROCESS process of understanding and
sharing meaning (Pearson & Nelson,
2000). With this, we can see how
communication has a lot to do with
information sharing and arriving at a
common understanding.
 COMPONENTS OF COMMUNICATION

The book “Business Communication for Success” lists eight essential components of communication:
1. Source – a person, group, or entity that forms, creates, sends, or forwards a message or information
2. Message – the stimulus or meaning produced by the source for the receiver or audience (McLean, 2005)
3. Channel – the tool or manner in which the messages will be carried through from the source to the receiver
4. Receiver – receives the message from the source, analyzing and interpreting the message in ways both
intended and unintended by the source (McLean, 2005)
5. Feedback – the message or response of the receiver which is sent back to the source
6. Environment – the atmosphere, physical and psychological, where you send and receive messages
(McLean, 2005)
7. Context – the communication interaction involves the setting, scene, and expectations of the individuals
involved (McLean, 2005)
8. Interference – anything that blocks or changes the source’s intended meaning of the message (McLean,
2005)
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
THROUGH MODELS
FORMS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication may come in different

forms. These forms may vary and differ
in terms of participants, channels used,
and contexts. The following are the five
main forms of communication:
1. Intrapersonal Communication
It is a form of communication with oneself using internal
vocalization or reflective thinking (Communication in the Real
World, 2010).
2. Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is a form of communication between
two different people who may or may not have a direct relationship
with each other but are mutually and actively part of the
communication process. Interpersonal communication can be
planned or unplanned, but since it is interactive, it is usually more
structured and influenced by social expectations (Communication
in the Real World, 2010).
3. Group Communication.
It is a type of communication between three or more people
interacting to achieve a specific objective or certain goal. This form
of communication happens often during team-based tasks mostly
done in school works or organizational endeavors.

4. Public Communication.
This is a sender-focused form of communication in which one
person is typically responsible for conveying information to an
audience. This form is usually seen during campaigns, speeches, or
other public speaking events. Among the other forms of
communication discussed so far, this is the most formal,
intentional, and goal-oriented type
5. Mass Communication

Public communication becomes mass communication when it is

transmitted to many people through print or electronic media. In the
past, print media such as newspapers and magazines and broadcast
media like TV and radio have been the most used channels for mass
communication. However, in the advent of technology, mass
communication has slowly and strategically shifted its medium to
the internet world through websites and social media
 WHAT IS THE ROLE OF MEDIA AND
INFORMATION IN COMMUNICATION?
 How then will all these affect the process
of communication? You have learned that
Information is one of the reasons why
the media is only a tool to sending out
communication is done in the first place and
information and all the instruments,
this information can be shared through media.
channels, and methods that encompass
the media actually shapes the message
Media is an instrument for transmitting that we intend to communicate. This
information – it’s the vehicle for a message. further tells us that the kind, quality, and
Books, films, paintings, songs, TV shows, quantity of information that you can
poems, video games, magazines, radio podcasts, communicate is determined by the media
music videos, vlogs, newspapers, emails, that you use.
tweets, posts, letters, traffic signs, graphics,
Instagram stories – these are all media. It may
range from print media, broadcast media, film
or cinema, and new media or the internet.
Your choice of media should suit the kind of message or content you wish to send or
obtain.

Changes in media and technology will also change the nature of your content.

The nature of the media that you use dictates the kind of information that
you can communicate as well as the form that you communicate it in.
Today, most households own televisions, cars have radios, some take their
morning coffee with a newspaper, almost everybody has a smartphone,
computers are everywhere, and the internet is taking over the world. Indeed,
the media has become a constant in the lives of everyone as a source of
news, information, and entertainment. It is not surprising that because of
this, media and information plays a vital role not only in communication,
but in our lives.

1. It makes the world a smaller place.

2. It makes communication convenient.

3. It shapes public opinion.

DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES
AMONG AND BETWEEN MEDIA
LITERACY, INFORMATION
LITERACY AND DIGITAL/
TECHNOLOGY LITERACY
FOLLOWING ARE VARIOUS TERMS
ASSOCIATED WITH MEDIA
INFORMATION AND LITERACY:
1. LITERACY: The ability to identify, understand, interpret,
create, communicate and compute, using printed and written
materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a 5. INFORMATION LITERACY: The ability to
continuum of learning, wherein individuals are able to achieve recognize when information is needed, and to locate,
their goals, develop their knowledge and potential, and evaluate, and effectively communicate information in
participate fully in their community and wider society. its various formats.

6. TECHNOLOGY LITERACY: The ability of an

2. MEDIA: The physical objects used to communicate with, or
individual, either working independently or with
the mass communication through physical objects such as radio,
others, to responsibly, appropriately, and effectively
television, computers, film, etc. It also refers to any physical
use technological tools. Using these tools an individual
object used to communicate messages.
can access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create and
communicate information.
3. MEDIA LITERACY: The ability to access, analyze, evaluate,
and create media in a variety of forms. It aims to empower
7. MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY: The
citizens by providing them with the competencies (knowledge
essential skills and competencies that allow individuals
and skills) necessary to engage with traditional media and new
to engage with media and other information providers
technologies
effectively, as well as develop critical thinking and
life-long learning skills to socialize and become active
4. INFORMATION: A broad term that covers processed data, citizens.
knowledge derived from study, experience, instruction, signals
or symbols.
RESPONSIBLE USE OF MEDIA
Information Disorder

refers to the many ways our information environment is

polluted – content are fake, used out of context, or
weaponized to attack certain individuals or groups of
people. Understanding this landscape is the first step
towards better and responsible use of media and
information.
There are three categories of Information Disorder: Misinformation,
Disinformation, and Mal-information.
1. Misinformation – refers to information that is false, but the person sharing or
disseminating it unknowingly perceives it as something true.
A. False connection – when headlines or visuals do not support the content
B. Misleading content - by cropping photos or choosing quotes or statistics selectively

At first glance, you might think that the

murder and homicide cases have indeed
tapered off in recent times. But the line
graph dipped at the end mainly because
the data for 2016 was split into two
periods: January to June, and July 1 to
August 3. Connecting yearly and
monthly data in a single line graph is a
big no-no, the visual equivalent of
comparing apples and oranges.
2. Disinformation – refers to content that contains false information with the deliberate intention to mislead or
deceive the audience.
A. False context – when genuine content is re-circulated out of its original context
B. Imposter content – persons’ bylines used alongside articles they did not write, or organizations’ logos used in
videos or images they did not create
C. Manipulated content – when genuine content is manipulated to deceive
D. Fabricated content – fabricated “news sites” or fabricated visual
3. Mal-information – refers to information that is based on reality but is
used to inflict harm

Examples:
[Link] to the press of private information for personal or corporate
interest (e.g. revenge porn)
B.B. Using a picture (e.g. of a dead child, with no context or false context)
in an effort to ignite hatred of a particular ethnic group
 My Responsibility as a Media Consumer
As a media consumer, you’re not just a helpless sponge, absorbing all kinds of
messages without a second thought. Ultimately, media literacy teaches us that
the content we see or hear are constructed with various aims and that an equally
important task falls to the audience, the receivers of such content, to evaluate
and give meaning to these media messages. Some media messages are meant to
be disseminated to the public, as in mass communication, but at the end of the
line, it will still be received by you, an individual with his own set of
understanding and thinking.
Indeed, “meanings are people.” Although a sender intends to relay
information with a meaning and purpose in mind, there will be
always variances to how the receiver interprets it, an interpretation
that is influenced by his life experience, education, cultural
background, social standing, biases, and other factors. Thus, there is
no absolute exact way to interpret a media message. Media literacy
skills help us think our way through this complex process of
communication. Furthermore, they help us function better in our
media-rich environment, enabling us to be better democratic
citizens, smarter shoppers, and more skeptical media consumers.
One of the greatest challenges today in
an information-filled era is the
proliferation of “fake news” or articles
that contain false information with the
deliberate intention to mislead or deceive
the audience. What is more dangerous is
how disinformation easily spreads
through social media with just a few
clicks. Although tricky, these articles are
not impossible to spot. Social news
network Rappler has created a quick
guide on how to check if an article is
fake.
ACTIVITY
Instructions: To better reflect on how you are as a media consumer,
answer the questions below. Copy and answer.

[Link] can you tell if the source of an information is credible?

[Link] do we mean by the “creative techniques” in media? And
how does it affect the message being sent?
[Link] do other people interpret the same message differently?
[Link] what way does ideals and values being “sold” through media?
[Link] can the purpose of a message affect your response as a media
consumer?
Technological advances in the Digital Age gave tons of people access to tools for
communication and media creation. However, this opportunity also opened a chance for
illegal and irresponsible making and sharing of media messages. Here, you will learn your
responsibilities as a media and information literate content producer.
ACTIVITY