Media Literacy

I was out the other day with my housemates. We couldn't help but over hear a conversation between two children not more than ten years of age talking about how their hand phones work and how much it costed. When I was their age, I used to be young and innocent. I was running around playing catch or hide and seek.

After further thought about this, I have come to think that the media plays a big role in forming the personalities of people. As children, we have watched cartoons and we imitate their behavior. Even now, we use catchy phrases we hear from films. Those children talking about hand phones, have watch so many Disney films showing young teenagers with hand phones talking to their friends. My guess is that they want hand phones because they want to be like the teenagers they watch on tv.

Media has such a big influence on society today. All the advertisements we see, actually influences our decisions even in the slightest way. Maybe one day you are and you see a huge McDonald's billboard while driving and immediately, you start craving the McSpicy Deluxe meal. Or, when you're watch the famous series How I Met Your Mother. A lot of people use phrases and try to reflect a character from the series.

To understand the media is a simple thing, but to actually perceive the messages the media is trying to convey is another whole perspective. What the media shows us is like an onion, it has many layers. It could bring so many different meanings, all depending on what someone has been through. Think about it, maybe the media isn't just trying to show you what it's literally showing you. Maybe it's trying to show you something more.