We are constantly in an overwhelm of information and opinions, and it can be very easy to feel the immense weight of information and the way that it is affected. That is why the ability to think critically, evaluate intentions, and view media from an objective standpoint is so important. All of these skills are the building blocks of media literacy, and learning and subsequently using them in practice results in a more educated and nuanced understanding of the way information is presented to us. As this week’s guest Julie Smith said herself, “We rarely see or hear things we disagree with, and that is by choice and by design.” I have talked in previous blog posts about the concept of surrounding yourself only by people who agree with you and the dangers of that. Where you come to see the world in a very narrow field of vision because you are never challenged or open to different perspectives.

An important point to this that Julie Smith added this week that I had glossed over in my earlier posts is that this dissonance is by design. The way media functions does intentionally split and divide to serve specific agendas. As she said, the news is a business. There rarely are news outlets who report from an objective standpoint because there are agendas behind the scenes that these organizations must cater to. Especially in a political context, where there is money and power involved in who is reported in a good light and who is not. Understanding this notion itself is already progress towards media literacy because you are able to then turn on the news, watch what is being reported, and then think, “Who does this benefit, and how does this fit into the narrative of this channel?” This does not mean the news is lying to us, nor is it necessarily providing false information. Just that context and intention behind how this information is relayed has an impact on your own worldviews and is intentional. Once you have that knowledge, it becomes easier to view things critically and within that context. Paying attention to factual points, as well as where sources are coming from is also necessary. Varied views and hearing multiple perspectives is important, but identifying if those views rely on false or inflated facts is also a part of unpacking and applying media literacy. Within a PLN, media literacy amongst those within it ensures that people can keep one another in check. If someone is spreading false or inaccurate information, or is so narrowly focused on their views they lose the larger picture; there are others that they can engage in conversation with to look at things more closely. The goal of a PLN is not for every single person to agree and have the exact same opinions, but rather to cultivate a space that values growth, critical thinking, and looking at things in various ways.