Comprehensive Study Guide for Media and Information Literacy: Cybercrime, People Media, and Digital Ethics

Cybercrime and the Role of Media

• Definition of Cybercrime: The use of computers and the internet to commit illegal acts.

• Examples of Cybercrime:

  • Identity theft: Stealing personal information for fraud.

  • Hacking: Unauthorized access to systems.

  • Online libel: Defaming someone online.

  • Child pornography: Distribution or possession online.

  • Cybersex: Online sexual exploitation.

• Role of Media and Information:

  • Spreading awareness about online safety.

  • Informing citizens of their rights and the law.

  • Reporting cybercrime incidents to authorities.

  • Promoting digital responsibility and literacy.

• Impact of Media on Cybercrime:

  • Exposes online scams to protect the public.

  • Runs campaigns that encourage victims to report crimes.

  • Drives increased government action against cybercriminals.

  • Improves online behavior through heightened public awareness.

People Media

• Definition and Function:

  • Refers to groups of individuals who share a common interest and collectively become a primary means of mass communication.

  • Individuals act as media because they have the capability to disseminate information widely and effectively.

  • Individuals in People Media function as content creators, curators, and distributors.

  • Generates and shares information, opinions, and experiences, thereby influencing public perception and discourse.

  • Serves as a platform for advocacy, allowing individuals to raise awareness about social, political, and economic issues.

• Characteristics of People Media:

  • Professionalism: Being trained and skilled in media production and communication.

  • Objectivity: Expected to provide unbiased and accurate information.

  • Accountability: Refers to adherence to ethical standards and being subject to public scrutiny.

  • Reach: The range for reaching diverse audiences through mass media channels.

• Formats of People Media:

  • Social Media Platforms:

    • Examples include Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

    • Enable users to share text, images, videos, and live updates.

    • Facilitate interaction through comments, likes, and shares.

    • Allow people to engage with content and each other in real-time.

  • Blogs and Vlogs:

    • Personal or professional websites and online video-sharing/social media platform channels.

    • Provide space for bloggers and vloggers to share in-depth articles, opinions, tutorials, and video content.

    • Connect with audiences on a more personal level.

    • Provide valuable information and entertainment.

  • Podcasts:

    • Audio content available for streaming or download.

    • Covers news, education, and entertainment.

    • Offers a convenient way to consume content on the go.

  • Forums and Online Communities:

    • Platforms like Reddit, Quora, and specialized interest groups.

    • Allow users to discuss and exchange ideas.

    • Provide space for in-depth conversations and sharing knowledge and experiences.

  • Email Newsletters:

    • Regular updates sent to subscribers via email.

    • Include curated content, news, and personal insights.

    • Help individuals and organizations stay connected with audiences.

  • Live Streaming:

    • Real-time video broadcasting featuring audience interaction.

    • Platforms include Twitch, YouTube Live, and Facebook Live.

    • Allows creators to engage with viewers directly.

• Types of People Media:

  • Trend Setter / Influencer: Individuals with significant followings on social media who impact trends, opinions, and consumer behavior while collaborating with brands to promote products and ideas.

  • Citizen Journalist: Ordinary people who report news and events using personal devices, often providing real-time ground updates and covering stories overlooked by traditional media outlets.

  • Activists: Individuals who use media to advocate for social, political, and environmental causes, mobilizing support and raising awareness through campaigns and posts to drive change.

  • Content Creator: Bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and social media personalities who produce and share original content to inform, entertain, and engage audiences.

  • Community Leader: Individuals who lead and manage online communities or forums, facilitating discussions, maintaining group dynamics, and creating a positive, inclusive environment.

  • Educators and Experts: Individuals who share knowledge and insights on specialized topics using blogs, webinars, and social media to teach and inform audiences.

• Advantages of People Media:

  • Influence and Reach: Shapes public opinion, drives social change, advocates for causes, raises awareness, and promotes positive action.

    • Managing Negativity: Increasing influence can lead to negative feedback, bashing, and lies. People media must possess the skill to handle negativity while displaying strength to their audience.

  • Instant Feedback and Interaction: Receives immediate feedback through comments, likes, and shares, creating a dynamic two-way conversation that allows creators to adjust messaging, respond to questions, learn from their audience, and build a loyal community.

  • Access to Information and Expertise: Provides access to online trends, research, and vast resources, empowering creators to produce well-informed content.

  • Professional Growth and Skill Development: Offers opportunities to build skills in content creation, video editing, and social media management. Networking, conferences, and collaborations contribute to development, enabling successful influencers to turn their passion into a full-time career.

  • Platform for Advocacy and Social Impact: Allows individuals to advocate for causes such as sustainability, mental health awareness, and equality, amplify marginalized voices, challenge societal norms, and contribute to positive change.

Media Languages, Codes, Conventions, and Messages

• Media Languages: Codes, conventions, formats, symbols, and narrative structures that indicate the meaning of media messages to an audience.

• Codes: Systems of signs which, when put together, create meaning.

  • Symbolic Codes: Include language, dress, or actions of characters, or iconic symbols that are easily understood.

  • Technical Codes: Technical elements used in media to communicate meaning.

  • Written Codes: Written elements used to convey meaning.

• Conventions: Rules, habits, or generally accepted ways of doing things.

• Setting: The time and place of the narrative.

• Mise en scene: "Everything within the frame"; the description of all the objects within a frame of a media product and how they have been arranged.

Deconstructing Media

• Deconstruct: Closely examining and taking apart a media message so that its parts are exposed.

• Source: The creator of the media message, such as the writer, photographer, or blogger.

• Audience: The people intended to receive the media message.

• Text: What is actually seen and/or heard in a piece of media, including written or spoken words, pictures, graphics, moving images, sounds, and their arrangement or sequence.

• Subtext: An individual interpretation of a media message, sometimes referred to as the "hidden text."

• Persuasion Techniques: Methods used by media messages to persuade the audience to believe or do something.

• Point of View: The perspective from which a person tells part of a story.

Core Concepts of Media and Information

• Media: A collective term for all communication mediums, such as books, newspapers, radio, television, film, and the Internet.

• Media Audience: Recipients of information or consumers of media.

• Media Producers: People who create media messages.

• Media and Information Literate Individual: An individual who knows how to examine and take apart media messages so that their parts are exposed.

Copyright, Fair Use, and Plagiarism

• Copyright: A legal device that provides the creator of a literary, artistic, musical, or other inventive work the sole right to publish and sell that work.

• Fair Use: The limitation and exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work.

• Plagiarism: Using another person's work or ideas without proper acknowledgment.

Digital Issues

• Computer Addiction: Excessive use of digital-age technology such as computers and smartphones that may interfere with work or sleep and affect social interaction, mood, relationships, and thought processes.

• Cyber Bullying: Threatening, harassing, sending mean messages, making fun of a person, or intimidating a person through the use of computers.

• Digital Divide: The gap between groups in terms of access to, use of, or knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding information and communication technologies.

• Virtual Self: A digital identity or assumed identity in the virtual world.

Types of Bullying

• Verbal Bullying: Saying or writing mean things.

  • Examples: Teasing, name-calling, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, and threatening to cause harm.

• Social Bullying: Hurting someone's reputation or relationships.

  • Examples: Leaving someone out on purpose, telling others not to be friends with someone, spreading rumors, and embarrassing someone in public.

• Physical Bullying: Hurting a person's body or possessions.

  • Examples: Hitting, kicking, pinching, spitting, tripping, pushing, taking or breaking someone's things, and making mean or rude hand gestures.

10 Basic Rules of Netiquette

1. Remember That Real People Take Priority

2. If You Wouldn’t Say It to Someone’s Face, Don’t Say It Online

3. If You Wouldn’t Show It in Public, Don’t Share It Online

4. Don’t Exclude Your Audience

5. Don’t “Friend” Then “Unfriend” People

6. Don’t Overload System Resources With Enormous Files

7. Respect People’s Privacy

8. Don’t Repost Without Checking the Facts

9. Check and Respond to Email Promptly

10. Update Online Information That People Depend Upon