Media is the plural form of a medium, a channel of communication through which information is disseminated. In simple terms, it refers to a vehicle for carrying particular information from a sender to a receiver or a target audience. Examples of media are letters, books, newspapers, magazines, the telephone, movies, music, radio, television, computer games, the Internet, and social media.
General Knowledge About Media
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Media
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Communication
Communication is the process of exchanging information between people. If you communicate to someone, you send him/her a “message”. The message can be either verbal or non-verbal and is transmitted to a recipient through a medium.
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Information
Information is usually referred to as raw pieces of data, facts learned about something or someone that has been converted or organised into a more useful or intelligible form, which helps in decision-making. Information is the content of communication.
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Media Message
A media message is information that is disseminated through the media. Media messages can be in the form of text, audio, visual and contains facts, experiences, opinions, feelings, thoughts, and impressions on various topics.
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Sociam Media
Social media is a collection of online communication channels where communities interact, share content and collaborate. It allows its users to create personalized profiles and build networks worldwide to interact with each other. Websites and apps dedicated to social networking, microblogging, forums, social bookmarking, and social curation are examples of some types of social media.
Media & Information Literacy
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Media and Information Literacy
Media and information literacy (MIL) is the combination of Media literacy and Information Literacy. It is defined as a set of competencies which empowers citizens to access, retrieve, understand, evaluate, create and share information and media content in all formats, using various tools.
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Media Literacy
Media literacy is the ability to access media, analyse and create media content as well as reflect on media and act with media.
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Information Literacy
Information literacy is the ability to interpret and make informed judgments as users of information sources as well as to become producers of information in one’s own right.
Glossary Terms
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Information Disorder
Information disorder describes the phenomenon of an unstructured, chaotic supply of information with different levels of quality, truthfulness and harmlessness.
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Misinformation
Misinformation is information that is false, but the one who created it does not intend to cause harm. For example, a picture published to illustrate a current event might in reality have been taken long ago or even in a different place.
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Disinformation
Disinformation is false information that is deliberately created or disseminated with the explicit purpose to cause harm. Producers of disinformation typically have political, financial, psychological or social motivations.
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Malinformation
Malinformation is when genuine information or subjective interpretation of information is shared to deliberately cause harm. For example, leaking information that a political leader is having an affair to harm his/her reputation
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Fake News
The term “Fake News” refers to a deliberate mix of facts with false information or passing off outright lies as news. The phrase “fake news” is inherently vulnerable to being politicised and deployed as a weapon against the news media industry, as a way of undermining reporting that people in power do not like.
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Satire
Satire is information that uses irony to criticise elements of society. Satire can become misinformation if audiences misinterpret it as fact. For example, when it is taken out of context and appears on a newsfeed.
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Rumour
Rumour is a story that is passed from person to person but has not been proven to be true or false yet. For example, the rumour that the president is sick. Often the source of a rumour is unknown. The story can also change when it is being passed from person to person.
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Clickbait
Clickbait is an attractive or sensational headline that wants us to click on the link to read more. Sometimes the headline is accompanied by an appealing image.
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Social Bots
Social bots are social media accounts that are operated entirely by computer programmes. Social bots are designed to generate posts and/or engage with content.
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Deepfake
Deepfake is the term currently being used to describe fabricated media with misleading content produced using artificial intelligence (AI).
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Algorithm
An Algorithm is a fixed series of steps that a computer programme performs in order to solve a problem. Social media platforms use algorithms to filter and prioritise content that shows up on our newsfeed.
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Filter Bubble
Filter bubbles are the ways in which websites (search engines and social media platforms) use algorithms to selectively assume the information a user wants to see, and then give information to the user according to this assumption.
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Echo chamber
An echo chamber is an environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own. Echo chambers can create misinformation and distort a person’s perspective so they have difficulty considering opposing viewpoints and discussing complicated topics.
Democracy & Democratic Principles
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Democracy
Democracy is a system of governance in which there is mass participation. The ultimate power of such a system is vested in the will of the people.
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Democratic Principles
Democratic states have some principles in common. They include; majority rule but are responsive to the needs of the people, basic human rights and freedom are guaranteed, conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age, citizens have rights and responsibilities to participate in the political system and there is commitment to the values of tolerance, cooperation and compromise.
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Good Governance
Good governance as a concept presumes an ideal state. In this ideal state, key institutions are expected to function properly to meet the felt needs of the people and make good use of resources entrusted to them.
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Elements of Good Governance
There are nine (9) elements important for good governance; participation, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, consensus orientation, equity, effectiveness and efficiency, accountability and strategic vision.
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Voting
Voting is a civic responsibility for citizens of voting age to make an informed and collective decision during an election. Voting is a key element that allows citizens to participate in society and maintain a democracy.
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Importance of voting
A citizen’s vote is important because voting helps to choose a leader/representative at the local or national level, voting enables a person to make his/her voice heard on how the government should operate and voting is also the lifeblood of the democratic process.
Persuasion & Manipulation
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Persuasion
Persuasion is an art of effective speaking and writing and used in advertisement, propaganda, disinformation and political campaigning. Candidates in an election undertake campaigns with the main aim of persuading voters that they deserve their individual votes.
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Persuasive Techniques
Persuasive techniques are used in political messages to get potential voters to support and transform their thinking in their favour and secure their votes.
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Propaganda
Propaganda is true or false information that is spread not to inform but to persuade a targeted audience. It is a strategic and intentional tool of persuasion used by governments, corporations and interest-groups.
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Agenda Setting
Agenda setting is the idea that what the public thinks and talks about or trends on social media is decided by the media. Agenda setting is the power that the media wield in determining what should become the focus of public attention and public discourse.
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Framing
While agenda setting influences what the public receives as important, framing goes one step further and influences how we think about an issue. Framing is concerned about how the issues are presented to the general public.
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OPVL
OPVL (Origin, Purpose, Value, Limitation) technique is important in evaluating the usefulness of sources.
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