Looking Critically
We learned a lot about how we, as media consumers, should be looking more actively at the media around us. Now that I understand the ideas behind encoding messages, I’ve been looking at the media around me with a more critical eye, especially the news both on TV and on the web. We also talked about how unintentional messages can also be sent depending on several aspects of the production not just limited to the script itself. As an video producer for my local public access channel and in some way as a career in the future, it was important for me to understand this critical looking from a producer of the media’s point of view. We can get our messages across in many ways, but need to be careful of biases both intentionally and unintentionally. By looking for the message behind it, we can also get more enjoyment out of films, TV shows, and other media to understand it as the director has intended.
