New Media Literacies as Social Skills

New Media Literacies as Social Skills

 

 

Jenkins (2010) does well in stating that "the new media literacies should be seen as social skills, as ways of interacting within a larger community, and not simply an individual skill to be used for personal expression" (p. 20).  In essence, all literacies and teachings are meant to connect the learner with his/her society and help build a connection within that society that will benefit both the learner and society as a whole.

 

Such an example can be seen by viewing the advertisements that are viewed daily in our social media realm.  Advertisements on Facebook, Instagram, etc., have entered into an area that is both private (our personal social media pages) and social (visible by all users).  It serves to benefit social media users and society as a whole if we better understand the prospective target audiences of these ads, and how those same ads will attempt to reach a particular demographic.
These teachings tend to be the responsibilities of caregivers but must now become a joint responsibility with school educators.  New literacies and social media are growing at an proficient rate and require both trainings and discussions to allow society to benefit from, or not be susceptible to, its many offerings.

I believe that this weeks readings provided sufficient evidence, particularly in statistical evidence, of the impact of media advertising.  Opinions and decisions are being shaped by the content that is becoming more and more difficult to avoid.  The goal of any advertisement - to sell a product - is becoming easier to accomplish due to the expansion of media outlets coupled with an audience who has yet to fully grasp an advertisements effects.  This, to me, was a key element of the readings/assignment for week 8.

 

Works Cited

 

Jenkins, Henry, et al. Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the

 

         21st century. Mit Press, 2009.