Text Media

Overview of Text Media and Information

  • Course Title: Text Media and Information at Saint Michael's College of Laguna

Unit Objectives

  • At the end of this unit, students should be able to:

    • Describe the different dimensions of text information and media.

    • Comprehend how text information and media are formally and informally produced, organized, and disseminated.

    • Evaluate the reliability and validity of text information and media and their sources using selection criteria.

    • Produce and evaluate a creative text-based presentation using design principles and elements.

Understanding Text

  • Definition: Text is described as a simple and flexible format for presenting information or conveying ideas, which can be hand-written, printed, or displayed on screens.

  • Key Point: Text is a “human-readable sequence of characters” that form intelligible words (Rouse, 2015).

Types of Text

  • Hypertext:

    • Serves to link different electronic documents, allowing users to navigate in a nonlinear fashion.

  • Plain Text:

    • Unformatted text with fixed-size characters, appearing the same regardless of the medium.

  • Formatted Text:

    • Text whose appearance can be adjusted using font parameters (e.g., bold, underline, italicization, colors).

Example of Plain Text

  • An example provided demonstrates textual representation and formatting considerations.

Hyperlinks

  • Definition: A hyperlink (or link) is a clickable reference that directs a user from one point in a document to another, enabling navigation between documents.

  • Importance: Hyperlinks are crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) and the foundation of the internet.

Design Principles and Elements of Text

  • Text production involves careful planning across various products, such as album covers and labels.

  • Key Design Principles:

    • Emphasis: Highlighting text through color changes, bolding, or italics.

    • Appropriateness: Suitability of text to intentions, audience, and context.

    • Proximity: Refers to the spatial relationship between text elements.

    • Alignment: Positioning of text concerning margins and other elements (e.g., center, right, bottom).

    • Organization: Grouping and sorting similar elements on a page.

    • Repetition: Achieving consistency throughout the design.

    • Contrast: Placing different elements together to create visual effects.

Evaluating Text Reliability in Media

  • Importance of careful analysis of information in social media contexts to avoid misinformation.

Types of Messages

  • Explicit Messages: The literal meaning is clear and direct; what you see is what you read.

  • Implicit Messages: Text that requires interpretation and analysis to uncover deeper meanings.

Information to Avoid

  • Be cautious of:

    • Fake News: Misinformation propagated through various channels.

    • Scams and Hoaxes: Deceptive messages aimed to mislead individuals.

Types of Lies

  • Blatant Lies: Conscious fabrication of false stories.

  • Lie by Omission: Selectively withholding information.

  • Partial Lies: Combining true information with unfounded claims.