Media literacy: What does it mean?

Published on: 20 August 2021

According to the Australian Media Literacy Alliance (AMLA), the newly formed agency to champion media literacy education in Australia, ‘media literacy is the ability to critically engage with media in all aspects of life. It is a critical form of lifelong literacy that is essential for full participation in society.’

What does this mean for the students at MacKillop College?

Media is a very powerful force in the lives of students and has a strong influence on how they see the world. In order to be engaged and critical media consumers in study, work, lifestyle and in the community, students need to develop the skills and habits of media literacy. They need to develop the skills and ability to:

access media technologies on both basic and advanced levels in a variety of mediums whilst maintaining awareness of and reflecting on the personal, social and ethical impacts of their choices
analyse in a critical manner based on key concepts such as influence and impact on people and society, realizing that media construes reality in other ways
evaluate the media based on that analyses to critique and use the variety of media formats
create, manipulate and manage media to produce their own media to achieve personal objectives

Media literacy builds upon the foundations of traditional literacy and empowers students to be critical thinkers, effective communicators and active citizens utilising all forms of communication.

For more information about the AMLA please visit https://medialiteracy.org.au/index.php/about-us/