By Renee Hobbs
Media Literacy IN ACTION
Questioning the Media
2nd
Edition
CHAPTER 7
Why do people prefer different kinds of music, movies, and TV shows?
Why are we attracted to characters and stories? Textbook introduces college students to media literacy by examining the emotional power of narrative genres.
Why are we attracted to characters and stories? Textbook introduces college students to media literacy by examining the emotional power of narrative genres.
Learning Outcomes
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Examine why people like diverse types of media as a result of differences in aesthetic judgment and taste
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Understand how novelty, familiarity, and repetition affect people’s liking of media content
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Discover how media genres, codes, and conventions help people comprehend and interpret media content
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Appreciate how recommendation engines structure people’s choices of movies and TV shows
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Reflect on how features of the media environment shape everyday life and behavior
People balance the need for novelty and familiarity when choosing media
MEDIA LITERACY LEARNING MODEL
KEY IDEAS FROM CHAPTER 7
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​People like different genres and forms of media because differences in taste help people to use media to develop and express their personal and social identity across the lifespan.
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Music, movies, and video games that strike the right balance between novelty and familiarity can be commercially successful because the codes and conventions of different media genres provide pleasure and help people make sense of and interpret media content.
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Although Aristotle said, “There are no new ideas under the sun,” human creativity is combinatorial and innovation occurs as adaptations, sequels and remakes ensure that new genres are continually being refreshed and re-invented for the present day.
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Recommendation engines structure people’s choice of media content in ways that limit people’s access to the ever-growing number of books, movies, music, games and other media, but also may substitute mathematical models for the value of humanistic criticism and cultural commentary. ​​
INSTAGRAMMING YOUR TRAVEL MEALS
I'M AN ORIGINAL CATCHPHRASE
Diagram Your Taste
Choose one of these creative expression activities to explore features of your taste in music or movies:
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• Create a detailed timeline to chart the development of your taste in movies or music since you were a child and write about the patterns you notice over time.
• Create an infographic that lists your 10 favorite movies and briefly describe each one. Find a way to depict some of the similarities between them you can detect and name the genre categories for items on your list.
• Keep track of all the music you listen to in one day by identifying the genre and noting whether each song you hear is familiar or novel. Then create a chart that depicts the familiarity-novelty continuum with your own examples.
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Try Canva or another free media production tool to create your diagram. Post and share your work with the global community of media literacy learners using the #MLAction hashtag.
INTERVIEW SOMEONE
ABOUT THEIR MEDIA CHOICES​​
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Work with a partner and each person should respond to the questions below. Reflect on your media tastes as you discuss:
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What patterns do you notice in your taste preferences?
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How satisfied are you with your choices?
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How have your taste preferences changed over time?
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Click on the list to share a reflection after participating in the interview where you try to apply ideas from Chapter 7 in your response.
CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR MEDIA DIET
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Gain awareness of your media diet by making one simple change to it and then documenting what you experience in an essay. For one day, do a personal audit of all your media use—all your reading, listening, viewing, and game play. Reflect on which of the behaviors you engaged in are typical for you in an ordinary day.
Then change one specific feature of your typical media use habits for a brief period—3 days at the most. For example, if you typically listen to music in the car, switch to a podcast or do not listen to music at all.
In a personal essay (500 words or fewer) or video (two minutes or shorter), reflect on your experiences before and after your experiment. You can post and share your experience using the #MLAction hashtag.
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Learn more about how Marshall McLuhan influenced media literacy educators, researchers & activists
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MARSHALL MCLUHAN
"The business of art is no longer the communication of thoughts or feelings which are to be conceptually ordered, but a direct participation in an experience. The whole tendency of modern communication...is towards participation in a process, rather than apprehension of concepts."
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--Marshall McLuhan, 1951