Get the Message?

Mass media is all around us: TV, radio, movies, magazines, newspapers. And much of it SEEMS free, but someone is paying for it, whether through advertisements or people who have an agenda. Remember that all (mass) media try to persuade you: to buy something or to think like they do.  You need to be aware of mass media’s intent in order to understand that information accurately and know how to respond to it.

 
CONNECT:
All media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules. And each person experiences that media in a unique way. When examining media messages, you should consider WHO is making the message, HOW the message is made, WHAT the message is, WHY the message is made. 

• View a television show or a video without the sound. Then listen to a television show without the picture. Can you describe the message? What is the impact of a missing medium? Try replacing a video or television footage original soundtrack with a conflicting/contradictory soundtrack. For example, use ballet music to accompany a football play. How does that impact the message and the experience?
• Examine online magazines and newspapers written in languages that at least part of the family does not know, such as http://www.readwhere.com/category/17/kids.  What information can you figure out – on what basis?
• Research a conglomerate to determine its related corporate entities (such as http://www.timewarner.com/ or http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/). How does their website convey their message or value.
• Locate a historical advertisement from the Library of Congress’s American Memory collections (http://memory.loc.gov/). Try to analyze the advertisement without consulting the bibliographic description. Locate other documents from the same period of time and/or same producer or type of product in order to contextualize the advertisement and gain more information. As another activity, identify advertisements that they think are targeted one group, such as females or children or one ethnic group, explaining the basis for their assessment. Do different members of the family have different opinions?

CREATE:

• You can also develop the skills to produce your own messages to build your own influence.
• Watch this video to see the “language” of camera shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwr0VQJyYro&feature=related. Then take pictures of your family and neighborhood with the idea of expressing a value, such as the importance of pets.
• You can make MAGIC with UNICEF at http://www.unicef.org/magic/index.html. This website has media activities for and by children.
• Try your hand at creating a commercial. The following activities are geared for the classroom, but can be done by a family group:

1. http://plays.about.com/od/actvities/a/commercial.htm
   http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/teachersguide/createyourownad.html
   http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/04/lp332-03.shtml 
2. WikiHow has some good tips on creating (and understanding) advertisements: http://www.wikihow.com/Create-an-Advertisement

CARE:

• It’s important to become politically aware, especially this fall. Common Sense Media has a list of great activity-based websites for different ages that can enlighten the family about media in the political process: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/new/politics-for-kids-get-kid-friendly-ways-to-steer-kids-through-the-political-season.  You can download campaign commercials, and edit them to support one candidate – and then re-edit them to support the opposing candidate. What production techniques did you use to modify the message? Does this activity change the way you think about political messages?
• You be the judge. Using the criteria at http://www.childrennow.org/index.php/learn/judging_educational_tv/, decide the quality of a television program that is targeted to children. If the program does not live up to its expectations, you can contact your local commercial broadcast television station about it (see http://www.childrennow.org/index.php/learn/educational_tv).
• Does your family have a favorite film or television show? Perhaps you know of a new show that you really hope stays on the air. You can submit your recommendations to Kids First (http://www.kidsfirst.org/submit-a-title/), which is a national media endorsement program that is based on community reviews.
• Are you “turned off” by some of the commercials you hear and see, especially those that are shown on children’s shows? What can you do about it? Help the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood at http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/

CAREERS:
The media industry is HUGE! Most companies and organizations use media to communicate, and think of all the entertainment fields! Most media productions require specialized skills of many people and lots of teamwork: performers, accountants, artists, writers, technicians, researchers, historians, scientists, and so on. This website provides links to many different media careers: http://faculty.ccbcmd.edu/~hzlotow1/MCOM_111.pdf
On a more personal note, here are interviews with people who work in children’s media: http://www.wgbh.org/impactcommunity/kids_media_matters.cfm

To Parents:
Even though young people “get” the messages that mass media send, they may be unaware of the underlying agendas. Youth respond to the language that mass media use: arresting images, fast-paced scenes, clever word play. They may get so caught up in the delivery of the message that they may miss the message itself on a conscious level, but may fall prey to that underlying objective, be it to buy a product or support a cause. When those messages encourage children to smoke or to exploit others, then the harm done by ignorance can be significant. For more in-depth information about (mass) media literacy, you can explore http://www.medialiteracy.com/kids_parents_media.htm