Are You Being Controlled by Media?

The Liberating effects of media and spiritual literacy

Do you ever feel like the media is the master of your life, instead of the servant? The culture of fake news, scams, and conspiracy theories, can make minor issues the focus of our lives. It is almost impossible to control all the media that is thrown at you in this world, but it doesn't have to be all scary. Viewing media from a critical lens can empower you to see the subtle effects it is having on you as a consumer and help you make informed decisions and opinions. This topic wouldn't be complete without breaking down the spiritual side of it as well.

"Media literacy is the process of critically analyzing media content by considering its particular presentation, its underlying political or social messages, and its media ownership or regulation that may affect the type of content we receive" (Pavlick and McIntosh, 2019, p. 35).

you might see media literacy as being able to post on the most popular social media platform, or being able to navigate a website. Although this is a part of media literacy, it is only the surface. From the definition above, you can see that media literacy includes thinking critically about what is put in front of you, not taking it at face value. It's understanding the purpose and biases of the content (even the content you create has biases!) and understanding the effects on the viewer. Becoming media literate is a never-ending process, there is always more to learn. Here are just a few questions that Pavlick and McIntosh (2019) come up with to ask yourself as you interact with and analyze the media content put in front of you:

• Why am I being shown this, or being told that?

• What sorts of desires are being sold? How well is it working? Who is the target audience?

• Does this content show or encourage gender or racial stereotypes or antisocial behavior? Are they profiting from promoting harmful stereotypes?

• Check the "about us" section and see who runs the website. What is their mission? Who are their sponsors? How will that affect the information you are receiving? What are the biases?

• Compare the information with other resources and educate yourself on the topic. Is the basic information true?

• Who is quoted first/ most? who is treated like an expert? whom do they work for? What are their Biases?

• How does the choice of words used affect how the consumer perceives the information?

"Technology has augmented our freedom of speech, but it also gives an unqualified blogger false credibility based on the number of viewers. This is why now, more than ever, we must remember this eternal principle: 'By their fruits, ye shall know them '" (Ochoa, 2013, para. 7)

These Critical thinking skills can also apply to the gospel. Spiritual literacy is applying our skills from media literacy to have a grounded understanding of what we interact with. We don't have to be "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine" ( Ephesians 4:14). Having a high level of media literacy separates feeling victimized or controlled by every belief we are exposed to. We can study sacred texts using exegesis, understanding the author, the world they are writing it from, and their purpose. Additional to using critical questions to analyze spiritual content, We have more resources to help us interpret the world around us when discussing spiritual literacy. In a conference talk titled, "look up," Adrian Ochoa (whose career was in advertising) explains," The companionship of the Holy Ghost is not just a pleasant convenience-it is essential to your spiritual survival. If you will not treasure up the words of Christ and listen closely to the promptings of the spirit, you will be deceived" (2013, para. 9).

My dear brothers and sisters, if you ever come across anything that causes you to question your testimony of the gospel, I plead with you to look up. Look to the source of all wisdom and truth. - (Ochoa, 2013, para. 9)

We have to use a critical lens and spiritual lens when interpreting the world around us. Gary Stevenson explains low spiritual literacy as a spiritual eclipse in his conference address titled, " Spiritual Eclipse." Stevenson explains, "a spiritual eclipse can occur when we allow minor and troublesome obstructions-those we face in our daily lives- to get so close that they block out the magnitude, brightness, and warmth of the light of Jesus Christ and his gospel" (2017). As our spiritual literacy increases our perception and allows us to see the meaningful information and their relationship to each other. Similar to media literacy, becoming spiritually literate is a never-ending process.

This video is a synopsis of Russell Nelson's address to the youth in 2018. He referenced consumers' relationship with media by inviting all to disengage from constant media intake and performing a social media fast. One reason he may have given this invitation was to free the youth from cultivation theory, a communications framework where long-term exposure to media shapes how you perceive the world and conduct yourself. This video was posted by the church newsroom, which is the official newsroom for the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints. They are sponsored by the Church, whose mission is to help all of God's children come to Jesus Christ through learning about His gospel, making and keeping promises with God, and practicing Christlike love and service (The Church of Jesus Christ, n.d). This video is going to be persuading you to do those things and will support the stances of the church, you see this in the interviews at the end of the video as social proof. The original address was targeted at youth, but the Church Newsroom is informing everyone of the key points of the speech. As you break down this video, you are able to see their efforts to persuade you to participate, or at least form a positive opinion about this address. This video only shows snippets of the original address, which would be beneficial to watch to further educate yourself on the topic.

References

Pavlik, John V., & McIntosh, Shawn (2019). Converging media: A new introduction to mass communication.

Ochoa, Adrian, (2013, November). Look Up. Ensign.

Stevenson, Gary E., (2017, November) Spiritual Eclipse. Ensign

The church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/about-us?lang=eng