What is media and media literacy?

In modern day, the media is one of the most important type of tool that many candidates use to leverage the public. Media can drastically shape public opinion. Political campaigns, interest groups, and even foreign governments use media to sway votes. Media shapes how we see the world by deciding what stories get pushed to our page and how they are presented. 

 

Media literacy is the ability to analyze and evaluate media in a critical way. That means not just consuming the information, but actually understanding who is behind it, what the purpose of the article is, and how the message might influence beliefs and emotions.