What is Media Education?

Media education is the process through which individuals become media literate – able to critically understand the nature, techniques and impacts of media messages and productions. In the words of digital media literacy scholar Sonia Livingstone, “the more that the media mediate everything in society – work, education, information, civic participation, social relationships and more – the more vital it is that people are informed about and critically able to judge what’s useful or misleading, how they are regulated, when media can be trusted, and what commercial or political interests are at stake. In short, media literacy is needed not only to engage with the media but to engage with society through the media.”[1]

Media Literacy Week

Media Literacy Week is an annual national campaign to promote digital media literacy, with activities and events taking place in classrooms, libraries, museums and community groups from coast to coast to coast. Find out how you can get involved!

Interactive Media - Introduction

Interactive media, such as games and social media, use many of the same "rules of notice" as visual and video media, but also use “rules of action” that both allow users to make choices but also limit and influence those choices.

Social Networking, Video Games

The social media industry

The social media industry represents a profound transformation of the traditional media landscape, moving from hierarchical, one-way communication to decentralized, interactive digital networks.[1] Today’s dominant platforms are best defined as "two-sided platforms that primarily host user-generated content distributed via algorithms, while allowing for interactions among users.”[2] This highly interactive and networked environment has created immense wealth for the platform operators while simultaneously establishing

Social Networking

Social Media - Introduction

Social media is best understood as a collection of capabilities, or affordances, overlaid on various platforms. Instagram, for instance, is a platform for visual and video media with social media capabilities, while Scratch is a gaming platform with social media capabilities. It represents a major change from older media, shifting from one-way communication to a decentralized network where everyone can be a producer.

Social Networking

Indigenous Representation in Media

Indigenous people remain highly stereotyped in most mass media, in ways that are sometimes less remarked upon than stereotypes of other groups. This section examines how Indigenous people are represented, and participate, in various media and how media education can help both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth understand the impact of stereotyped representations.

Diversity in Media, Indigenous People

Audio Media: Introduction 

Audio media, such as music and podcasts, share the power to communicate deeply and personally with listeners, often using sound and words to tell stories and set moods. Both forms have been fundamentally changed by digital technology, which has made content abundant and accessible, mainly through mobile devices and streaming. These digital changes mean that algorithms and platform rules are now major forces in deciding what listeners discover and consume. 

Audio Media, Music

Masculinity and Sports Media

Sports media also contributes to the construction of masculinity in contemporary society.

Gender Representation, Sports, Stereotyping

Visual Media - Introduction

Visual media, such as art, photos, and movies, use special techniques called "rules of notice" to guide what viewers pay attention to and how they feel about what they see. Understanding these rules helps both creators and those trying to understand the messages in visuals.

Comics, Movies, Television

Video Media - Introduction

Video media—including film, TV and online video—use different techniques to direct the viewer's attention and communicate meaning. These techniques, known as "rules of notice," involve motion, editing and sound.

Movies, Television