About Media Literacy

Today the range of media which is being used by non-professionals to communicate and express themselves, through the world of picture and 3G phones, blogs and home video editing software, is already greater than the total output of all the world's TV stations.  

Although the 24/7 media environment in which we live means that most people are already avid media consumers, this doesn't necessarily give us all the skills to understand, or question it, or the know-how to use it to express our own ideas.  And as media outputs proliferate, we need to be ever more aware of alternative and culturally diverse sources of stories, ideas and information. A media literate society is therefore not a luxury, it is a necessity in the 21st Century - for social, economic, cultural and political reasons - as we try to make sense of a sea of Reality TV, iPod downloads and streaming video on the Internet.  

This is what encouraging media literacy is really all about:  giving people the choice to communicate, create and participate fully in today's fast-moving world.  And this will help create a society in which everyone is enfranchised - whatever their economic, social and ethnic background - and in which the UK's creative and knowledge economies are able to draw upon the widest possible bank of creators and producers.

If people are to participate fully at work or in their community, or communicate effectively with family, friends and colleagues globally, or consume media intelligently they need to be media savvy.  They need to understand how media works and to feel comfortable questioning what they watch and read. They need a sense of who knows or owns what, and to what extent what you see is really what you get. And, very importantly, they need to become confident in using and exploiting the possibilities of new devices and media channels.

It is important for the health of society and democracy that as many people as possible have the technical means and the skills to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings.  

That is why the Media Literacy Task Force came together to launch A Charter for Media Literacy: a Charter which celebrates using media, encourages understanding and questioning, while at the same time highlighting the importance of everyone, regardless of age, having access to technologies and skills that will enable them fully to get the most from the full range of media.  Although from January 2010 it is not possible to sign the Charter here, you may wish to sign the identical European Charter for Media Literacy at www.euromedialiteracy.eu.