According to a study from scholars at Ball State University, in only one day the average person is exposed to five hours of media voluntarily, and another six hours in addition to their daily activities. This means that 68% of the time we have awake is spent surrounded by messages from the media meant to influence us in our daily decision making process. In order to make positive decisions, it is imperative that we are media literate, or that we are both aware of and can evaluate all the media messages we encounter daily.
In order to increase media literacy, there are questions that need to be taken into consideration when evaluating messages. Is the message directed solely to you, or is it directed at a larger audience? Should you hate the messenger, or take another look at the message? Is the motivation behind a message to inform, entertain, or advertise? These are only a few questions out of many to consider when confronted with a message from the media.
The ability to be aware of and evaluate the large amount of mass media messages we receive on a daily basis is key to making positive decisions. The tools necessary to do this include, but are not limited to, distinguishing between interpersonal and mass communication; messengers and the message; and motivators behind a message. In our capitalist society, where revenue streams propel media companies, the difference between being media literate and illiterate is as important as the difference between conceding to generally uncritical mass tastes generated by media companies, or seeking the truth about more important issues.
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