Eighth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Media scholars have for decades agitated for a need to incorporate media literacy components in school curriculums and make intentional efforts to teach them. Various countries such as England, Australia, Canada, and many others have played major roles in equipping schools with the ability to help students become media literate individuals. However, the United States, which produces massive amounts of media content, and has included media literacy elements in 50 states, has lagged behind all the other countries. With all the media messages we encounter today, it is imperative that action be taken now to foster students’ ability to encode, decode, criticize, and analyze these messages if they are to function well in today’s society.