In reading “Old Media, New Media, and Knowledge” by J.D. Applen, I’ve started to understand how new medias like social platforms have changed what it means to be literate. Literacy was once only about reading and writing printed text. That definition is now limited. Applen expands the idea of literacy to include the ability to interpret, create, and communicate through different kinds of media, like pictures and videos. Being literate in today’s age now means understanding how meaning is made across multiple forms. Communication being not just through words on a page.
This new understanding of literacy changes the passive act of reading into the active participation of going beyond the words. In digital spaces, the audience is also the creator/co-creator. People comment on articles, post their own content, and remix videos through a number of different platforms. These actions make people think carefully about how they create meaning by using visuals, sounds, and words to connect with their audience. Literacy, like most things, has adapted to the time it’s in. Being “literate” now means you are able to understand and create digital messages while also being aware of how they can affect other people.
Critical Awareness A Tool In Literacy
This expansion of literacy also calls for people to heighten their critical awareness. The use of new media allows people to blur the line between what is fact, opinion, truth, or manipulation. Which is why when I see anything posed as a fact online, I have to do my own research before sharing it in my circle. Algorithms are used to peddle “facts” that look appetizing to us when we are online. This is so that we continue to spread this misinformation and allow them to collect data on us.
Just one year ago today I was so certain that the presidential race was going in the other direction. This is because my algorithm and feed supported what I thought and not the facts of the race. Every post I saw said that one candidate was miles above the other. When election night came that was not the case. Now, hindsight being 20/20, if I would have done my own research into certain polling numbers or just allowed myself to see what was happening on the other side of the campaign, I believe that night would not have been such a shock to me. This is the current price we pay for having access to the internet so readily available. The price being not taking things at face value and using your own critical thinking. We need to use the internet and take a step back and see if you are being told fact, opinion or being manipulated.
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