LESSON 3

MEDIA AND THE INFORMATION LITERATE INDIVIDUAL

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

Learning Competency 3:

Discuss the implication of media and information to an individual and the

society

Learning Objectives: At the end of this lesson, the learners are expected to:

1. identify the benefits of media and information literate individual; and

2. describe the impact of media and information to different sectors of society.

General Instructions: Now that you are holding this module do the following:

1. Read and follow instructions carefully in each lesson.

2. Take note and record points for clarification.
3. Do the activities to fully understand each lesson.
4. Answer all the given tests and exercises.

WHAT'S NEW
Let’s Move On

Directions: Watch a youtube video about Lola Techie, a senior citizen, who is a tech
savvy. Enter this youtube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7iUOIiB3Zo
or you may search SONA: Lola Techie, hinikayat ang ibang may edad na tulad niya
na maging the savvy.

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 Image source: screenshot from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7iUOIiB3Zo

Answer the following questions:

1. Do you think Lola Techie is a media and information literate individual?

How did Lola Techie become a media and information literate?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. How did the government help the senior citizens cope up with the new media?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

WHAT IS IT

Media and information literacy empowers the individual, the community, and the
society.

The Media and Information Literate Individual

Becoming a Media and Information Literate Individual enables people to interpret and
make informed judgments as users of information and media, as well as to become
skillful creators and producers of information and media messages in their own right.

Media and information improve quality of life

There is no denying the extent of how the media and information age has drastically
improved the lives of people. Communication has been made easier. Information has
become widely accessible. Conducting research has become more convenient. All

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these and more are enjoyed by media literate individuals and prove just how much the
quality of life has improved thanks to media and information

Media and information for greater political participation

The media and the government have a long standing relationship in the fields of public
service. While the government serves the people by leading the nation towards
progress, the media serve them by informing public about subjects they need or they
want. Through the media reports of government activities and issues, the publics are
informed of the political affairs in the country and are further encouraged to take a more
active role in the government

Media and information promoting economic opportunities

The media industry has grown in number on today’s information age both in content and
in the workforce. The open content contribution nature of the new media has made it
possible for ordinary individuals to offer their materials for consumption often for free, or
at times for a cost. Online content is free but has gained popularity, advertisers will offer
to buy digital ad-space on a web page.
Even Youtube, a free video host, pays video contributors if their videos get enough
views or of their channels have a high subscriber rate. Paid content, on the other hand,
creates direct revenue. Free or not, media and information gives contributors platform
for earning additional income.

It is true that the influx of media offerings has led to the creation of more jobs in the
media. The convergence of various media platforms has created hybrid mediums that
require experts to run. New jobs like social media managers or multimedia specialists
have been created because of this growth. Even IT based jobs which were once rarities
in the media are now a necessity. As media and information grow, so does jobs that
require media and information literate individuals, and when jobs grow, so does the
economy. Employment or the lack thereof still persists as an economic problem in most
developing countries like the Philippines. The media industry in the age of information
plays a vital catalyst role to address that.

Media and information for improvement of learning improvement

Many believe that media and information have made learning easy, accessible, and
inexpensive. With these are true, the improvement in the learning environment brought
by media and information goes beyond convenience, availability, and cost.
Learning in schools meant understanding –or at least attempting to- subjects for the
sake of passing and getting good grades. One’s education is given importance because
it is pre-requisite to a good job which is then equated to a good life. Traditional learning
environments have caused people in general to lose appetite for knowledge. Luckily,
media and information have cleansed society’s palate and have reinvented learning as
a whole.

Media does not force feed information to unwilling receivers, instead, media has made
information sought after. The media also made learning a choice instead of a necessary
evil. After all, no one is commanded “google” a topic or enrol in a certain online course,
people who do to choose to do it. Since the media is source information and information

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age is characterized by the abundance of data, media and information have been
closely linked to the improvement of the learning environment in the present age. A
media and information literate individual take advantage of this further his or her lifelong
learning process.

Media and Information individuals as more cohesive social units

The concept of unit cohesion stems from a military concept of bond soldiers have that
makes them more effective in working together to complete a mission. Media and
information literate individuals are said to be more cohesive social units than those who
are not.

By keeping them informed, as well as connecting them in ways that weren’t possible
before, media and information literates become more cohesive social units. This creates
a bond that does not only have relational implications but also creates social impacts.

The media is said to have the power to affect social change. While this is true, it is not
the media that does the heavy lifting to create change in society, it is the individuals in
the society who developed a clamoring need for change because of media. The media
may play a hand towards a holistic development of the society, but without media and
information literate individuals sharing the same goal, development would not occur.
Source: Media and Information Literacy. The Media and Information Literate Individual Access at:
https://sites.google.com/view/elearningmil/lessons/the-media-and-information-literate-individual

Looking at MIL from the Lens of the The World Economic Forum, a 2016
Report titled Digital Media and Society: Implications in a Hyperconnected Era
discussed the pros and cons of the Impact of Digital Media on Individuals,
Organizations and Society, recognizing that “(t)he increased use of digital media is
changing people’s everyday lives and the way they connect and collaborate in the
broader societal context, at work and in civil society.”

On one hand:
Much of the impact of this heightened use is beneficial to both individuals and
society. It is enabling unprecedented levels of communication, social interaction and
community building across boundaries of time, place and social context. It is enabling
individuals and speeding up the democratization of knowledge. New learning methods
are possible (as has been evidenced by the World Economic Forum’s New Vision for
Education project), as are ways of working, which are providing better opportunities to
people in under – served communities and regions.

On the other hand:

Research indicates that when humans excessively use digital media it can
negatively influence their cognitive and behavioural development and even their
mental and physical health. Hyperconnectivity, the increasing digital interconnection of
people, and things, has the potential to change patterns of social interaction, as face-
to-face time may be substituted by online interaction. In addition, greater technology
enablement of work (and the resulting fragmentation of jobs) threatens the security of
jobs traditionally considered as skilled in the developed world.

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 WHAT'S MORE

Directions:

1. List down three benefits of being a media and information literate.

 __________________________________________________________________________________

 __________________________________________________________________________________

 __________________________________________________________________________________

2.What is the impact of media and information literacy to society’s education,

economy, and political sectors?
Education

Economy

Political

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 POST ASSESSMENT

Multiple Choice
Directions: Write the letter of your answer on the space provided in each number.

___1. Media and information literacy enables every individual to

a. make informed judgements
b. communicate with more people
c. provide income
d. all of the above

___2. A media and information literate individual can have political participation by
a. spreading false information on recent news
b. lack of information evaluation
c. flaming on social media
d. none of the above

___3. Media and information literate individual benefits the following, except
a. Economic opportunities c. greater political participation
b. Improved quality of life d. poor quality education

___4. Media and information for improvement of learning includes the following,
except
a. Convenience
b. Availability
c. Requirement
d. New learning methods

___5. Which among the following are benefits of media and information in business?
a. Income for content contributors
b. Convergence of multimedia platforms
c. Free content
d. All of the above

___6. Negative impacts of media and information includes the following, except
a. Mental health problem
b. Distant social interaction
c. Democratization of knowledge
d. Addiction

___7. The power to affect social change truly lies on:

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 a. media and information
b. media and information literate individuals
c. new media
d. none of the above

___8. Media and information has improved the lives of many by

i. Easy access to information
ii. Faster communication
iii. Conducting research conveniently
iv. Exposure to false news
a. i and ii b. iii and iv c. i, ii, and iii d. i, ii, ii, and iv

___9. Which among the following are ways wherein media and information literate
individuals are cohesive social units?
i. Neglecting information
ii. connecting with others sharing same goal
iii. seek entertainment purposes only
iv. keeping informed
a. i and iii b. ii and iv c. iii and iv d. i and iv

___10. Why is media and information literacy a need in the 21 st century?

i. Empower netizens to understand and evaluate information
ii. Rapid growth of technology
iii. Increasing amount of information
iv. Enjoy fundamental rights
a. ii and iv b. i, ii, iii, and iv c. iii and iv d. i, ii, and iii

Good job! Now, let’s got to module 3!

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 References:

Book:

Yuvienco, Joel C. 2017. Media and Information Literacy Being a B. E. S. T. Digital

Citizen for Senior High School, C & E Publishing, Inc.

Hyperlink:

https://sites.google.com/view/elearningmil/lessons/the-media-and-information-literate-
individual