The media has become an ingrained part of our culture; we can’t go anywhere without being bombarded by the messages the media wants us to believe. In order to effectively interpret and reflect upon the messages portrayed in the media, we need to become media literate. This means expanding our ideas of literacy past just the written word. That is what Media Literacy Education is all about: being able to think critically about the various forms of media that we encounter on a daily basis. As a society, we should be able to develop the skills that will allow us to create our meanings based on our understandings. Being critical of the media that is presented all around us doesn’t mean being cynical about everything we see. Instead, it means we should be a little cynical, understanding that you just cannot believe everything you hear or see in the media.

Media, as part of our culture and as “an agent of socialization,” means that its messages probably won’t be going away soon. But if we can train ourselves to not just blindly accept their messages, we can become the type of informed individuals this society needs. It takes practice, but media literacy is a concept that learners of all ages can really hold on to.