Social media, to me, feels like shouting into a large crowd where no one can hear me.
And as someone who is easily overwhelmed by busy environments, it just makes me want to go home, curl up in a blanket cave on the sofa and watch a comfort show.
Today I wanted to talk about one of the tools I’ve found most valuable in navigating the world online: media literacy.
Media literacy is basically the ability to access, analyse, evaluate, and create different kinds of media.
It’s important because we’re constantly surrounded by information from different sources like social media, news, advertising, and entertainment.
Media literacy helps me understand and make sense of all this information.
Why does media literacy matter to me?
Well, for starters, it helps me tell the difference between real and fake news – or rather, it helps me to distance myself from clickbait-headlines and stories told from a triggered point of view, so that I can view it more objectively, rather than fall head-first into a strong emotion.
Because making decisions in a heightened emotional state, usually doesn’t lead to anything good.
And with so much misinformation out there, it’s crucial to be able to tell what’s legitimate and what’s not, what’s pertinent and what’s not.
Media literacy also encourages critical thinking.
It has allowed me to question the information I’m presented with and to think carefully about what I’m being told.
Like I said, being able to look at respond or react to something after first sitting with the emotional response that thing stirs in me, has allowed me to avoid rash decisions that I regret later.
Media literacy also pushes me towards responsible consumption.
It helps me understand how media affects our lives and society, and encourages me to be responsible in the way I consume media.
Media literacy has enhanced my communication skills.
By helping me understand the different ways that messages are conveyed and received, I’ve become a more effective communicator myself.
Analysing and talking about media, forces me to formulate my thought in such a way that I can communicate it to others, pushing me to become better at, not only understand my own thinking, but constructing my thoughts and arguments.
One of the things I love most about media literacy is that it fosters creativity.
It encourages me to create media and express myself in different ways, which is really fun and rewarding!
I love to talk about, review and analyse the media I consume because it inspires me and helps me to think about things differently.
How has media literacy helped me cultivate good mental health?
Precisely because we’re constantly bombarded with media messages from various sources like social media, news, and advertising, media literacy is the tool that I employ to keep my mental health in a good place.
I think there’s a general fatigue in online consumption where a lot of people have found that mindlessly scrolling is so bad for your mental health.
People want to consume less noise, and more of the content that is truly meaningful.
I know I do.
And media literacy has helped me develop the skills necessary to understand the impact of media on my thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.
For example, media literacy can help me recognise and challenge harmful messages that negatively impact my self-esteem and mental well-being.
By being able to identify these messages, I’ve learned to reject them and prioritise my mental health over the capitalist system profiting off of my anxieties.
With a more balanced and healthy approach to media consumption, my mental health is in a much better place than it once was.
Media literacy has also empowered me to create positive media content, promoting feelings of self-efficacy, confidence and creativity.
I don’t want to add to the noise online, I want to use it as a channel for connecting with and be in community with others.
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