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Thursday 16th November 2006 11:37 am
Dara N. Byrne: beyond Media Literacy to Combat “Why Bother”
How can we become more active agents in helping young people of color to be more purposeful users of new media?
I make it a point to incorporate social networking sites my students use into my courses. These sites serve as launching pads for discussions about publicness, diaspora, and corporate control. The discussions seem much more meaningful, to me and to them, because these are some of the cultural artifacts that define their online lives. I’ve gotten some to question whether the popularity of these sites translates into vibrant communities with strong communications networks, or whether these are just the latest vehicle for commercial interests.
Although our discussions are sometimes really general as I teach mostly introductory courses, it does get them thinking about what they are using and who benefits from their participation, key questions that young people of color must continue to ask. (I still get IMs from time to time, where someone might wonder why certain sites are so interested in their demographic profile).
What I don’t often hear though is the sense that “something can be done” to counter corporate or other forms of control, especially when they conclude that this is just the same ole same ole (money, power, control, and the myriad ways that folk of color and the poor get “stepped on” in search of more money power and control by the man). Yes, I do believe critical media literacy is vital but I can’t help but be bothered by the fact that they don’t truly believe that it is a tool for bringing about material changes. As far as some see, we are plugged in to some Matrix-like machine, and newer ways to keep us plugged in are just around the corner. (One famously said: “All that marching and we’re still not out the ghetto").
Coming up with new ways to combat these sentiments, and the persistence of the “why bother” rhetoric, is of chief importance to me. Addressing this in the classroom will have real consequences on how young people of color think about the possibilities of new media, and themselves, in bringing about that material change.
Category: Race-Ethnicity
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Comments
Pepperdine University
http://gsep.pepperdine.edu/~lpolin
Posted on November 20 2006 4:46 PM
I think it was an important idea that Black-owned business mattered, empowering both producers and consumers in Black neighborhoods. So too, we must create producer capabilities and opportunities in web-based, digital media for people of color. This means, imho, going well beyond media literacy as a critical experience, into media production as a personal competence.
Businesses and others that produce and profit from traditional media specifically for an audience of color should be demanding and underwriting efforts to implement hardcore curricular revision that teaches kids operational skills and provides them with authentic opportunities for producing legit. content for an audience of peers. The kids will figure out the message/content, but they need supportive access to development tools and knowledge and experts. Given the state of K-12 schooling, this will need to arise in an afterschool context; but it must be no less legitimate (not periodic and incomplete, undeveloped and unsustained, like many afterschool activities can become).
Frankly, imho, all kids should be learning the skills AND HAVING THE SUPPORTED OPPORTUNITIES to become legitimate producers of widgets and apps and content and community for the Web 2.0 / Web 3.0 world. After developing critical understanding of media and power, they should be moving on to host their own sites, manage media flow, and deal with IP issues, etc. in order to act on their knowledge and agendas.
I completely agree with you that without making it actionable, critical theory is insufficient to address the problem you raise. Oprah, we need you!
This is not an endorsement, but here’s a project I Googled that seems to embody a few of my points: http://www.global-action.org/ I’d like to see a project that builds developer skills in Peer-to-Peer and interactive Web apps that allow youth to manage content. Taking It Global is an example of the endgame for that. As a young student, Jenn Corriero built this up from an idea because she was able, with friends, to make it a reality. That’s what I’m talking about.
San Diegot State University
http://pict.sdsu.edu
Posted on November 21 2006 8:20 PM
I’m pleased to have found this discussion and those no doubt circling around it in blogosphere.
I perceive a lot of skeptism from critical pedagogues about “technology.” I agree with Linda’s point about the impact and importance of Black-owned businesses and that it’s time do the same with technologies, in particular the with WEB 2.0/3.0. Or for that matter PowerPoint. (See http://pict.sdsu.edu/students.htm)
Not a plug, nor am I a fan of ppt, it’s just an example of how to use tools every college student has access to, to create and have voice. PPT is a LTA, low threshold application, http://zircon.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/lta/
another example that it’s not about access any more.
What’s missing in our mix are enough faculty to shepherd these kinds of projects, formally and informally, and with a critical lens. It’s getting going however. And that’s all it takes..getting going.
Joe Tojek
Capella University
http://www.capella.edu
Posted on November 16 2006 3:24 PM
I share your interest in making digital media literacy more than academic. I am picturing a concept of embedded media literacy…
Realistically this could take the form of tools that help participants be aware of who the stakeholders are in the systems they participate in, a record of their activities, and some measure of their reputation in the community.
I am picturing some kind of reputation / identity dashboard that will allow social networkers to drill down on specific identities to learn details that would establish trust and credibility. If a participant has blocked that level of information somehow, then other users would know that and could choose not to share “real” information with them.