Introduction to Media Literacy builds students’ media literacy step-by-step to make them more knowledgeable about all facets of the media and more strategic users of media messages. In nine streamlined chapters, all of the essential media topics are covered – from understanding media audiences, industries, and effects to confronting controversies like media ownership, privacy, and violence – in a concise format that keeps students focused on improving their media literacy skills as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Media Literacies: A Critical Introduction traces the history of media literacy and grapples with the fresh challenges posed by the convergent media of the 21st century. The book provides a much-needed guide to what it means to be literate in today’s media-saturated environment. Updates traditional models of media literacy by examining how digital media is utilized in today’s convergent culture Explores the history and emergence of media education, the digitally mediated lives of today’s youth, digital literacy, and critical citizenship Complete with sidebar commentary written by leading media researchers and educators spotlighting new research in the field and an annotated bibliography of key texts and resources

Our society has become characterized by aggressive media. Information is constantly at our fingertips – whether it be through the books, newspapers, and magazines we read, the television we watch, the radio stations to which we listen, or the computers that connect us to the world in a matter of seconds. We can try to limit our media exposure, but it is impossible to avoid all media messages. As a result, we psychologically protect ourselves by automatically processing the media to which we are exposed. Theory of Media Literacy: A Cognitive Approach comprehensively explains how we absorb the flood of information in our media-saturated society and examines how we often construct faulty meanings from those messages. In this book, author W. James Potter enlightens readers on the tasks of information processing. By building on a foundation of principles about how humans think, Theory of Media Literacy examines decisions about filtering messages, standard schema to match meaning, and higher level skills to construct meaning. A central theme of Potter′s theory is the locus that governs the degree to which a person is media literate. The locus is enriched by developing skills as well as good knowledge structures on five topics: media effects, media content, media industries, real world parameters, and the self. Key Features Presents the first social scientific theory of the process of media literacy Explores a broad range of literature on media literacy written during the past two decades Focuses on how the human mind works, especially in this mass media-saturated society Theory of Media Literacy is an essential resource to a wide audience within the media discipline. The book provides empirical researchers with direction to test the theory and extend our understanding of how the media affect individuals and society. Practitioners will find it helpful in developing strategies to achieve goals and, at the same time, avoid high risks of negative effects. In addition, new scholars will find it to be an excellent introduction to various media literacy research.

Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture is an integrated program that encourages students to be active media consumers and gives them a deeper understanding of the role that the media play in both shaping and reflecting culture. Through this cultural perspective, students learn that audience members are as much a part of the mass communication process as are the media producers, technologies, and industries. This was the first, and remains the only, university-level program to make media literacy central to its approach, and given recent national and global turmoil, its emphasis on media use and democracy could not be more timely. New for the eighth edition, Connect Mass Communication combines contemporary course content and groundbreaking digital tools to create a unique learning environment. With Connect Mass Communication, the Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture program integrates an interactive eBook with dynamic online activities and assignments that help students study more efficiently and effectively. A new bank of CNN videos helps students learn the impact of media through a cultural and global lens. LearnSmart, McGraw-Hill’s adaptive learning system, assesses students’ knowledge of course content and maps out personalized study plans for success.

In a media rich world, mass communication is all around us, from CNN, to your morning commute radio show, to Twitter. Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture personalizes learning for every student, no matter whom they are or where they are, by giving them a deeper understanding of the role that media plays in both shaping and reflecting culture, while also helping them understand their role in society through that process. Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture is an integrated program that encourages students to be active media consumers and gives them a deeper understanding of the role that the media play in both shaping and reflecting culture. Through this cultural perspective, students learn that audience members are as much a part of the mass communication process as are the media producers, technologies, and industries. This was the first, and remains the only, university-level program to make media literacy central to its approach, and given recent national and global turmoil, its emphasis on media use and democracy could not be more timely. The new edition maintains its commitment to enhancing students’ critical thinking and media literacy skills. As in recent editions, chapters offer sections on smartphones, tablets, and social networking sites that discuss the impact of these technologies specific to the medium at hand. However, Chapter 10, now titled “The Internet and Social Media,” has undergone a major revision designed to focus greater attention on social media as a mass communication technology in its own right. Additionally, the new 9th edition will also feature SmartBook, the first and only adaptive reading experience, that highlights content based on what the individual student knows and doesn’t know, and provides focused help at that moment in need through targeted learning resources (including videos, animations, and other interactivities). SmartBook’s intuitive technology optimizes student study time by creating a personalized learning path for improved course performance.

"Media Literacy is a captivating, engaging, reader-friendly textbook essential for introductory Media Studies courses in communication, sociology, film studies, and English." -SirReadaLot.org In this media-saturated world, it is critical to approach media influences using critical thought and active participation. Media Literacy, Fourth Edition uses an engaging and conversational style to help students gain the skills needed to navigate the rocky terrain of mass messages - which are designed to inform them, to entertain them, and to sell them. This captivating book offers a plan of action for gaining a clearer perspective on the borders between the real world and the simulated media world, helping readers become responsible media consumers.

Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture is an integrated program that encourages students to be active media consumers and gives them a deeper understanding of the role that the media plays in both shaping and reflecting culture. Through this cultural perspective, students learn that audience members are as much a part of the mass communication process as are the media producers, technologies, and industries. This was the first, and remains the only, university-level program to make media literacy central to its approach, and given recent national and global turmoil, its emphasis on media use and democracy could not be more timely. New for the eighth edition, Connect Mass Communication combines contemporary course content and groundbreaking digital tools to create a unique learning environment. With Connect Mass Communication, the Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture program integrates an interactive eBook with dynamic online activities and assignments that help students study more efficiently and effectively. A new bank of CNN videos helps students learn the impact of media through a cultural and global lens. LearnSmart, McGraw-Hill's adaptive learning system, assesses students' knowledge of course content and maps out personalised study plans for success.