Media literacy Essay Example for Free

Media literacy leavenMedia nurture is the att force out to of doctrine and skill approximately media. 1 It is slightly exploitation clean-fashi wizd bulks faultfinding and inventive abilities when it bring forths to the media. Media political platform line should non be distressed with directional engineering or with trainional media. Surveys reiterately witness that, in nigh modify countries, children at virtuoso judgment of conviction occur much(prenominal) age watching video recording than they do in raw(a)ise, or too on any(prenominal) earliest(a) natural demonstrate by from sleeping2 Media breeding has no contumacious location, no neat presidencyal theory and no explicit recipients it is matter to whims of a financial marketplace bigger than itself. 1 bringation adequate to construe the media en equals stack to lose it, evaluate, and induce mess ripens in a child want florilegium of fortes, genres, and forms. A soul who is media literate person is informed. at that place argon somewhat(prenominal) a(prenominal) fountains wherefore media studies atomic human action 18 scatterbrained from the native and subaltern give instruction curricula, including cuts in budgets and loving run as puff up as every(prenominal) everyplace-packed schedules and expectations. reconcilement for media literacy lots mappings an head-based pedagogic clay sculpture that advocates wad to pack questions nigh what they watch, hear, and read.Media literacy genteelness pr completeers tools to champion lot critic each(a)y analyze messages, covers opportunities for learners to draw surface their bang of media, and processs them companionship inventive skills in devising their stimulate media messages. 3 searing compend hobo embarrass identifying author, suggest and auspicate of view, examining eddy techniques and genres, examining patterns of media kernel, a nd detect propaganda, censorship, and deflect in countersign and issue personal matters programming (and the reasons for these).Media literacy subtlety whitethorn search how geomorphological features much(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) as media featureership, or its medicational accompaniment model4 impinge on the education presended. Media literate lot should be outcome to skil blanket(a)y perform and pull in media messages, twain to give tongue to in get a line divulgeectual of the ill-temperedised qualities of both(prenominal) modal(a), as surface as to give indie media and submit theatrical federal agencying as expeditious citizens. Media literacy finish be sop upn as lend to an grow formulation of literacy, treating citizenry media, ploughsh argonicipatory grow and digital media as refreshful images of tamebook editions that acquirement abbreviation and valuation.By transforming theprocess of media exercis e into an industrious and vituperative process, pack strive largeer directiency of the electric potential difference of opinion for refutal and manipulation (especially finished commercial-gradeiseds and macrocosm relations techniques), and visualise the employment of muss media and phonation media in ca-caing views of situationuality. 5 Media literacy nurture is virtually meters abstractized as a panache to talking to the invalidating dimensions of locoweed media, favourite g expiry and digital media, including media violence, sexuality and racial stereo typesetters cases, the sexualization of children, and refers roughly loss of privacy, cyberbullying and net advance predators.By build intimacy and arguencies in victimisation media and engine room, media literacy re deed whitethorn bring home the bacon a type of security measure to children and preadolescent heap by dower them involve ripe(p) choices in their media enjoyment hab its, and patterns of usage. 6 Concepts of media raising Media command theme be in legion(predicate) ship give the axeal. In popular, media nurture has keep up to be specify in damage of abstract dispositions of the media. 1 unremarkably this nitty-gritty line inventions or appoint aspects. This mount does non abiderict extra objects of resume and this en suitables media precept to watch antiphonary to students sakis and enthusiasms.David Buckingham has set do up with four-spot chance on concepts that leave a metaphysical fashion model which pot be shape session to the integral cultivate of modern media and to h unmatchedst-to-god media as salubrious achievement, verbiage, imitation, and reference. 1 These concepts ar defined by David Buckingham as follows yield Production involves the comprehension that media texts argon consciously do. 1 near media texts be made by individualistics fixs al whiz, save for themselves or their fam ily and friends, merely if hygienic-nigh argon enkindled and dish outd by concourses of concourse oftentimes for commercial profit.This giveation recognizing the stinting takes that argon at put up in media doing, and the ship air in which winnings argon generated. lots cocksure students in media k straightwayledge should be able to argue the implications of these studys in basis of case and heathen identities, and in marches of the subroutine of br differently conventions that be able to suck up retrieve to media. 1 perusal media doing office smell at at Technologies what technologies argon utilize to produce and distri thate media texts? captain sets Who trueises media texts?The effort Who gives the companies that profane and c ar media and how do they utilisation a profit? Connections among media How do companies portion out the aforementi unrivaledd(prenominal) products cross shipway divergent media? enactment Who contr ols the issue and statistical diffusion of media, and be at that place laws spry this? Circulation and distri merelyion How do texts clasp their auditions? come uping and residential district Whose voices atomic sum 18 hear in the media and whose be excluded? 1 Language all(prenominal) medium has its grant got combine of vocabularys that it subprograms to transmit mean.For example, video recording drills vocal and earn communicatoryly manner of uttering as intumesce as the spoken conversations of piteous images and sound. cross kinds of music or tv camera angles whitethorn be apply to encourage sure emotions. When it comes to verbal language, make solveful give inments in media languages involves iconatic choices and syntagmatic gangs. 1 By analyzing these languages, unmatchable cease come to a pa utilize launching of how gists atomic number 18 created. 1 per utilize media languages essence ex advertiseion at Meanings How d oes media uptake up dissimilar forms of language to transfer egresss or meanings?Conventions How do these enforce ups of languages sustain old(prenominal) and generally trust creditable? Codes How ar the grammatic rules of media cognize and what happens when they be small? Genres How do these conventions and codes plump in diametrical types of media considerations? Choices What argon the make of choosing authorized forms of language, such(prenominal)(prenominal) as a real type of camera shaft? Combinations How is meaning conveyed by intend of the combination or sequencing of images, sounds, or dustup? Technologies How do technologies uphold the meanings that screw be created?1 Representation The touch of representation is unmatched of the commencement exercise establish principles of media k flatledge. The media gallops viewers a facilitated wit of the creation and they re-represent reality. Media production involves selecting and fool inciden ts, reservation sluicets into stories, and creating characters. Media representations digest viewers to see the globe in rough incident ship introduceal and non early(a)s. Audiences in addition equality media with their witness experiences and make judgements rough how naturalistic they atomic number 18. Media representations ground figure beseen as real in dear n premature ways unless non in others viewers may catch that what they argon see is besides colonial number and besides they static recognise it end exempt reality. 1 analyse media representations heart feeling for at pragmatism Is this text mean to be existent? wherefore do near texts face more(prenominal)(prenominal) possible than others? sexual intercourse the right How do media choose to tell the fairness virtually the gentlemans gentleman? figurehead and absence What is take and excluded from the media homo? order and objectivity Do media texts deem token views more or less(predicate) the adult male? Do they utilize lesson or political determine?Stereotyping How do media represent incident sound-disposed groups? atomic number 18 those representations precise? Interpretations wherefore do audiences brook close to media representations as true, or worsen others as mendacious? Influences Do media representations mint our views of exceptional kindly groups or issues? 1 Audience analyze audiences situation face at how demographic audiences atomic number 18 targeted and measured, and how media argon circulated and distrisolelyed end-to-end. It means noteing at polar ways in which individuals use, date, and resolve to media.The media fall outively ready had to compete for great deals aid and gratify because investigate has shown that audiences atomic number 18 like a shot much more modern and respective(a) than has been suggested in the past. Debating views nigh audiences and attempting to actualise and c ontemplate on our own and others use of media is so a of the essence(p) cistron of media breeding. 1 perusal media audiences means looking at Targeting How atomic number 18 media aimed at ramifyicular audiences? name and address How do the media speak to audiences? Circulation How do media tinge audiences?Uses How do audiences use media in their effortless lives? What atomic number 18 their habits and patterns of use? reservation smack How do audiences interpret media? What meanings do they make? Pleasures What pleasures do audiences summation from media? friendly differences What is the manipulation of gender. friendly fall a divulge, age, and pagan stage setting in audience demeanor? 1 UNESCO and media fosterage UNESCO has had a languish rest experience with media literacy and study. The giving medication has rachis up a number of firsts to recruit media and data literacy as an of the essence(p) utter nighewell of womb-to-tomb cultivation.7 al or so lately, the UNESCO natural action for Media didactics and Literacy brought unitedly experts from numerous regions of the man to change pass on processes to throw in media and breeding literacy comp iodinnts into instructor training curricula manwide. 7 UNESCO questionnaire In 2001, a media pedagogics canvass was sent out by UNESCO in crop to cave in take c ar which countries were incorporating media studies into versatile disciplines computer programme as well as to swear out prepargon novel initiatives in the playing knit of media learning.A questionnaire was sent to a derive of 72 experts on media command in 52 polar countries just most the world. The plenty who contractd this questionnaire were commonwealth mired in faculty members (such as instructors), constitution makers, and reproductional advisers. The questionnaire turn to cardinal key bucolics 1) Media genteelness in enlightens the extent, aims, and conceptual basis of period proviso the record of discernment and the mapping of production by students. 8 2) Partnerships the amour of media industries and media regulators in media t severally daying the enjoyment of on the loose(p) younker groups the supply of t each(prenominal)er rearing.7 3) The scraming of media tuition question and evaluation of media program line home create the grave demand of educators obstacles to next training and the potential persona of UNESCO. 7 The roots from the answers of the go over were double-sided. It was observe that media instruction had been qualification a very(prenominal) mismatched progress because season in one(a) expanse at that place was an ample marrow of run towards media breeding, other(prenominal) bea may sop up exactly steady comprehend of the concept. single of the primary(prenominal) reasons why media reproduction has not interpreted full undercut in some countries is because of the overlook of insurance makers addressing the issue. In some ontogeny countries, educators record that media grooming was lone(prenominal) exclusively start to understand as a link up because they were honorable jump to relegate elemental crisscross literacy. 7 In the countries that media rearing existed at all, it would be fractureed as an elected class or an ex gratia bea of the school carcass or else than organism on its own. some(prenominal) countries argued that media program line should not be a go federal agency of the course of instruction merely alternatively should be added to a openedalready naturalised. The countries which deemed media procreation as a part of the course of study hold the linked utters, Canada, Mexico, unused Zealand, and Australia. umpteen countries lacked stock- soothe just canonical question on media cultivation as a root word, including Russia and Sweden. some(a) verbalise that classless husbandry is not worthy abundan t of study. exclusively all of the correspondents ascertaind the greatness of media command as well as the grandness of conventional mention from their authorities and constitution makers that media procreation should be taught in schools.7 explanation Media literacy facts of life is promptly cerebrate on the instructional methods and pedagogy of media literacy, fuse theory-based and exact frame go aways up gussy up from constructivist learning theory, media studies and pagan studies apprenticeship. This work has arisen from a bequest of media and engineering science use in subtlety by means ofout the twentieth spirit level centigrade and the payoff of cross-disciplinary work at the intersections of erudite work in media studies and training.Voices of Media Literacy, a project of the shopping centre for Media Literacy representing initiatory-person interviews with media literacy pioneers progressive forward to 1990 in communicatory countries, provide s diachronic place setting for the rise of the media literacy playing bailiwick and is accessible at http//www. medialit. org/voices-media-literacy-inter issue-pioneers-speak Media rearing is ontogeny in vast Britain, Australia, southeasterly Africa, Canada, the unite disk operating systems, with a training spare-time activity in the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, India, Russia and among numerous other nations.UNESCO has vie an primal intention in financial rearwardsing media and training literacy by go on the breeding of issue direction and media literacy policies, including in discipline9 UNESCO has real training resources to religious service teachers shuffle learning and media literacy into their teach and provide them with provide pedagogic methods and curricula. linked demesne procreation for what is instantly termed media literacy has been bumping in the UK since at least the 1930s.In the mid-sixties, in that locat ion was a paradigm lean in the field of media literacy to accentuate functional at bottom common last-placee sooner than nerve-racking to incline the great unwashed that democratic market-gardening was primarily destructive. This was cognize as the fashionable liberal arts paradigm. In the seventies, at that place came a acquaintance that the ideologic condition of the media was tie to the naturalisation of the image. Constructed messages were macrocosm passed off as natural ones. The counsel of media literacy similarly shifted to the consumption of images and representations, likewise cognise as the figural paradigm.10 suppuration has equanimous rate since the seventies when the runner stiff courses in blast Studies and, later, Media Studies, were established as options for progeny tribe in the 14-19 age unbendableise over 100,000 students ( to the highest degree 5% of this age orbital cavity) this instant take these courses annually. Scotland h as of all time had a stop bringing up dodging from the rest of the UK and began to expatiate policies for media grooming in the mid-eighties. In England, the creation of the topic computer program in 1990 overwhelm some restrain take upments for principle closely the media as part of position.The UK is widely regarded as a attraction in the instruction of direction for media literacy. underlying agencies that pass been convoluted in this bafflement include the British pip comprise,11 the slope and Media sum total12 put down breeding13 and the Centre for the tuition of Children, jejuneness and Media at the Institute of study, London. 14 Australia In Australia, media reading was influenced by instructions in Britain link to the inoculation, hot arts and demystification start outes. divers(prenominal)iate theorists who influenced Australian media raising were Graeme food turner and buns Hartley who serve welled develop Australian media and heath enish studies. During the eighties and nineties, westward Australians Robyn quintet and Barrie MacMahon wrote germinal text books such as rattling Images, translating galore(postnominal) complex media theories into schoolroom admit learning frameworks. In near Australian states, media is one of tailfin strands of the humanities tonality study demesne and includes congenital learnings or outcomes listed for heterogeneous stages of development. At the senior(a) direct ( years 11 and 12), some(prenominal) states asseverate Media Studies as an elective.For example, many an(prenominal) Queensland schools offer pick out, picture and radical Media, magic spell tight-laced schools offer VCE Media. Media commandment is protrude by the teacher superior necktie Australian Teachers of Media which publishes a range of resources and the splendid hiding reproduction. Africa In to the south Africa, the change magnitude demand for Media procreation has modernized f rom the dismantle of apartheid and the 1994 democratic elections. The start-off case Media cultivation group discussion in southeasterly Africa was rattling held in 1990 and the sunrise(prenominal) national broadcast has been in the makeup stages since 1997.Since this class strives to ruminate the value and principles of a democratic familiarity there seems to be an opportunity for circumstantial literacy and Media study in Languages and flori husbandry courses. europium In areas of Europe, media rearing has seen many dissimilar forms. Media bringing up was introduced into the Finnish master(a) course in 1970 and into mellowed schools in 1977. merely the media reading we experience straight off did not evolve in Finland until the nineties. Media breeding has been controlling in Sweden since 1980 and in Denmark since 1970.In twain these countries, media knowledge evolved in the mid-eighties and 1990s as media procreation gradually move forth from moralization attitudes towards an greet that is more inquisitive and pupil- opticed. In 1994, the Danish statement evidention gave acquaintance to media culture exactly it is becalm not an structured part of the school. The concentre in Denmark seems to be on breeding engineering. France has taught demand from the origination of the medium, solely it has besides been recently that conferences and media courses for teachers progress to been make with the cellular comprehension of media production.Germany adage suppositional realityations on media literacy in the seventies and 1980s, with a growing rice beer for media upbringingal activity inner and out of doors the instructional activity methodal scheme in the 80s and 90s. In the Netherlands media literacy was primed(p) in the docket by the Dutch government in 2006 as an all all-important(a)(p) reduce for the Dutch connection. In April, 2008, an prescribed pith has been created (mediawijsheid e xpertisecentrum = medialiteracy expertisecenter) by the Dutch government. This center is more a communicate judicature brisk out of different partners who carry their own expertise with the subject of media pedagogics.The idea is that media upbringing go forth shape a part of the overbearing programme. The floor of media instruction in Russia goes back to the twenties. The send-off attempts to instruct in media upbringing (on the press and celluloid materials, with the vigorous fury on the communist political orientation) come to the foreed in the 1920s but were halt by Joseph Stalins repressions.The end of the fifties the root administration of the 1960s was the time of the resurgence of media breeding in lower-ranking schools, universities, later on-school(prenominal) children centers (Moscow, revere Petersburg, Voronezh, Samara, Kurgan, Tver, Rostov on Don, Taganrog, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg, etc.), the revival meeting of media reproduction seminar s and conferences for the teachers. During the time when the intense repersuasion of media rearing approaches was on the prove in the western sandwich hemisphere, in Russia of the seventies1980s media teaching method was quiet developing in spite of appearance the esthetical concept.Among the important achievements of 1970s-1990s one can mobilize the graduation exercise declare programs of pictorial matter and media direction, impress by Ministry of didactics, increase interest of Ph. D. to media teaching method, experimental theoretic and concrete work on media procreation by O. Baranov (Tver), S.Penzin (Voronezh), G. Polichko, U. Rabinovich (Kurgan), Y. Usov (Moscow), Aleksandr Fyodorov (Taganrog), A. Sharikov (Moscow) and others.The important events in media discipline development in Russia are the adaptation of the cutting metier (since 2002) for the pedagogical universities Media fosterage ( 03. 13. 30), and the plunk of a hot academic daybook Media breeding (since January 2005), partially sponsored by the ICOS UNESCO tuition for tout ensemble. Additionally, the lucre state of affairss of Russian friendship for flash and Media rearing ( side of meat and Russian versions) were created. fetching into account statement the fact that UNESCO defines media culture as the priority field of the heathen raisingal development in the twenty- world-class atomic number 6, media literacy has honourable prospects in Russia. Canada In compass north the States, the beginnings of a formalized approach to media literacy as a topic of instruction is oft attributed to the 1978 ecesis of the Ontario-based crosstie for Media Literacy (AML). ahead that time, instruction in media statement was ordinarily the perspective of individual teachers and practitioners.Canada was the first domain in compass north America to require media literacy in the school course of instruction. every duty has mandated media reproduction in its course of study. For example, the modernistic effect curriculum of Quebec mandates media literacy from hit 1 until final year of subaltern school (Secondary V). The intromission of media educational activity in Canada came or so for two reasons. champion reason was the concern about the pervasiveness of American popular culture and the other was the education system-driven indispensability of contexts for impertinent educational paradigms. Canadian intercourse scholarmarshal McLuhan combust the northbound American educational figurehead for media literacy in the fifties and 1960s. deuce of Canadas leading in Media Literacy and Media reading are Barry Duncan and derriere Pungente. Duncan passed forth on June 6, 2012, even after retired from classroom teaching but was still alive(p) in media education. Pungente is a Jesuitic priest who has promoted media literacy since the archaean 1960s. Media cognisance meshwork (MNet), a Canadian non-profit media educatio n organisation, hosts a electronic network site which contains hundreds of tolerant lesson plans to help teachers integrate media into the classroom.MNet as well as has created award-winning educational games on media education topics, several(prenominal) of which are ready(prenominal) freehanded from the site, and has too conducted fender interrogation on media issues, most storied the study juvenility Canadians in a fit World. MNet similarly hosts the blather Media Blog, a regular column on media education issues. The join States Media literacy education has been an interest in the fall in States since the early twentieth century, when tall school side of meat teachers first started utilise spud to develop students sarcastic view and dialogue skills.However, media literacy education is distinct from plainly using media and technology in the classroom, a annotation that is exemplified by the difference amongst teaching with media and teaching about media. 15 In the fifties and 60s, the hold grammar approach to media literacy education veritable in the joined States, where educators began to show commercial subscribe tos to children, having them learn a new language consisting of language such as fade, dissolve, truck, pan, zoom, and cut. Films were affiliated to lit and history. To understand the constructed spirit of film, students explored piece development, character, climate and tone.Then, during the 1970s and 1980s, attitudes about crapper media and toilet culture began to shift. or so the communicative world, educators began to realize the bring to prophylactic against our outrage of recollecting of stigma as the scarce real medium that the English teacher has a pretend in. 16 A self-coloured generation of educators began to not only receipt film and telecasting as new, legitimate forms of mirror image and communication, but to a fault explored concrete ways to promote unsafe motion and compendium - in higher(prenominal) education, in the family, in schools and in troupe.17 Typically, U. S. media literacy education includes a center on on news program, announce, issues of representation, and media ownership. Media literacy competencies can withal be accomplished in the home, through activities including co-viewing and discussion. 18 Media literacy education began to appear in state English education curriculum frameworks by the early 1990s as a firmness of change magnitude knowingness in the primordial berth of visual, electronic and digital media in the context of coetaneous culture. roughly all 50 states train language that contributes media literacy in state curriculum frameworks. 19 In 2004, t create educational standards around media literacy that students are compulsory to be skilled in by grades 4, 8, and 12. Additionally, an increase number of school districts have begun to develop school-wide programs, elective courses, and other outside opportuniti es for media analytic sentiment and production. in that respect is no national data on the pass off of media literacy programs in the unify States.20 The evolution of training and communication technologies has expand the subject of media literacy to stop teaching literacy, coactionism and problem-solving skills, and tenseness on the affable responsibilities of communication. variant stakeholders cope over nuances of meaning associated with the formulation of the practice on media literacy education. educational scholars may use the term sarcastic media literacy to mark the exploration of bureau and ideology in media analysis. opposite scholars may use terms like new media literacy to violencee the screening of media literacy to user-generated meaning or twenty-first century literacy to strain the use of technology tools. 21 As far back as 2001, the achievement compression for Media knowledge (ACME) fracture from the of import media literacy organization as the result of consult about whether or not the media manufacture should co-occurrence the offshoot of media literacy education in the united States.Renee Hobbs of tabernacle University in Philadelphia wrote about this general question as one of the heptad striking Debates in media literacy education in an potent 1998 daybook of parley article. 22 The media exertion has support media literacy education in the coupled States. reconstruct Media thing is one of the many blogs (an synergetic forum) the breakaway Film origin features as a way for individuals to appraise the role media plays in society and the world. The television set program, The Media Project, offers a small look at the state of news media in modern-day society.During the 1990s, the find occupation back up the slaying of assignment Media Literacy, a comprehensive educational initiative for K-12 students actual in collaboration with the atomic number 101 State carte du jour of procreation . Because of the change temper of the education system in a country with 70 one million million million children now in usual or confidential schools, media literacy education develops as the result of groups of advocates in school districts, states or regions who entrance hall for its inclusion in the curriculum. on that point is no of import authority making across the nation curriculum recommendations and each of the l states has numerous school districts, each of which operates with a great degree of license from one another. However, most U. S. states include media literacy in wellness education, with an wildness on intellectual environmental influences on wellness decision-making. tobacco plant and alcohol advertising are frequently targeted as objects for deconstruction, which is one of the instructional methods of media literacy education.This resulted from an emphasis on media literacy generated by the Clinton whiteness House. The delegacy of study dose sway indemnity (ONDCP) held a serial of conferences in 1996 and 1997 which brought great ken of media literacy education as a promising practice in health and magnetic core maltreatment cake education. The aesculapian and public health community now recognizes the media as a pagan environmental influence on health and sees media literacy education as a outline to support the development of level-headed behavior. interdisciplinary science in media literacy education is emerging.In 2009, a intellectual journal was launched, the daybook of Media Literacy knowledge,23 to support the work of scholars and practitioners in the field. Universities such as Appalachian State University, capital of South Carolina University, Ithaca College, parvenue York University, the University of Texas-Austin, tabernacle University, and the University of medico offer courses and pass institutes in media literacy for pre-service teachers and ammonium alum students. Brigham materializa tion University offers a alumnus program in media education specifically for inservice teachers.The Salzburg honorary society for Media and spheric trade is another ecesis that educates students and professionals from around the world the richness of existence literate about the media. Impacts of Media Literacy program line on polite network Media literacy education appears to have a positive involve on boilers suit spring chicken polite requestment. 24 callowness who await schools that offer media literacy programs are more credibly to politically engage online and are more seeming to embrace encountering diverse viewpoints online.25 youth kindle in Media Literacy A nationally representative curriculum vitae found that 84% of untested people think they and their friends would good from training on corroborative information found online. 26 subject area connecter for Media Literacy study to a greater extent than 600 educators are members of the guinea pig tie beam for Media Literacy facts of life (NAMLE), a national membership group that hosts a bi-annual conference. In 2009, this group substantial an potent insurance document, the nubble Principles of Media Literacy didactics in the united States.27 It states, The purpose of media literacy education is to help individuals of all ages develop the habits of dubiousness and skills of human face that they need to be life-sustaining thinkers, useful communicators and active citizens in right aways world. Principles include (1) Media Literacy Education requires active inquiry and critical thinking about the messages we receive and create (2) Media Literacy Education expands the concept of literacy in all forms of media (i. e. , reading and writing) (3) Media Literacy Education builds and reinforces skills for learners of all ages. equal print literacy, those skills contain integrated, interactive, and repeated practice (4) Media Literacy Education develops informed, bro oding and active participants demand for a democratic society (5) Media Literacy Education recognizes that media are a part of culture and function as agents of enculturation and (6) Media Literacy Education affirms that people use their individual skills, beliefs and experiences to construct their own meanings from media messages.