MEDIA and INFORMATION LITERACY
MELTON A. MERZA, CE, LPT
Review:
What are the types of Media?
1. Print media (books, newspapers, journals,
etc.)
2. Broadcast media (radio and television
broadcasting)
3. Online media (use internet)
1. Defined codes, conventions, and
language of media.
2. Identified the codes and conventions
presented.
3. Used the codes and conventions of media in
presenting an issue
Today, media has become very powerful and
influential. As a learner, it is not enough that you
can read the information given to you. It is also
important to understand media and information
codes and conventions to help you better
understand the message that media
professionals are communicating.
According to Ute Schaeffer as cited by (Sylvia
Braesel, Media and Information Literacy A
practical guidebook for trainers, 2018) “People
need to be media literate. This involves knowing
where to find relevant information, how media
shape popular culture and opinion and influence
personal choices, and how to navigate the
Internet and ensure personal privacy in the cyber
world.”
Are you familiar of this?
1. What information do you get from the symbol?
___________________________________________________________
2. How is the symbol presented in terms of color, fonts, and
design?
The information that you get looking at the
symbol is the message of the symbol itself.
Understanding the language of media is a
skill that you must acquire. Remember the
following terms:
Language pertains to the technical and
symbolic ingredients or codes and conventions
that media and information professionals may
select and use to communicate ideas,
information and knowledge.
Media language are the codes, conventions,
formats, symbols and narrative structure that
indicate the meaning of media messages to an
audience.
Messages are the information sent from a
source to a receiver. Source: Teaching Guide for
Senior High School Media and Information
Literacy. (Ferdinand B. Pitaagan, Ph.D., Virginia P.
Andres, Louis Mark N. Plaza, Conrado C. Rotor,
Ph.D., Aurelio P. Vilbar, Ph.D., Cheryl F.
Villanueva, 2016)
The elements that helped you identify what kind
of movie each picture shows are the codes and
conventions of media. Media codes and
conventions are like the building blocks of all the
media around us which generally have an agreed
meaning, or connotation to their audience (Young,
2017). There are three (3) types of media
codes: symbolic codes, technical codes, and
written codes.
1.Symbolic codes are social in nature. Such
codes exist beyond the media product
themselves but can be interpreted in similar
Example: which means Christianity
These also include setting, mise en scene,
acting and color.
Color is used to connect connotation to
specific scenes, characters or object. Red, for
instance, is typically seen as a color of passion,
danger, romance, or violence. Green is
connected with nature or sickness, blue with
calm or depression. Purple is seen to be
connected with royalty (Young, R. 2017).
2. Technical codes. According to Arniel Ping
technical codes are all the ways in which
equipment is used to tell a story in a media text
like camera techniques, framing, lighting, etc.
(Ping, 2016).
Camerawork refers to how the camera
is handled, positioned and moved for specific
effects like a high-angle camera shot to create a
feeling of power in a photograph.
Audio is the expressive or naturalistic use of
sound. It includes dialogue, sound effects and
music. According to Chris 14 Constantine
(Constantine, 2010) music often defines a
scene. An example is the use of ominous music
to communicate danger in films.
3. Written codes are the formal written
language used in a media product. These include
language style and textual layout like headlines,
captions, speech bubbles, etc. (Frezi.com, Young,
R. 2017)
Process Questions
1. What type of fonts or typefaces are used in each
picture?
2. What message does the style of font signify?
The simple use of different fonts or typefaces
indicate different meaning.
According to Robert Young, conventions are the
accepted ways of using media codes. There are
three different types of conventions: form
conventions, story conventions and genre
convention (Young, R. 2017).
1. Form conventions are the expected ways on
how media codes are arranged. In newspapers
for example, the most important news will be at
the front page while sports news is found at the
back page. Newspapers also contain masthead
1.Story conventions are common narrative structures
and understandings in story telling media products
like cause and effect, character construction and point
of view.
2. Genre conventions are the common use of tropes,
characters, settings or themes in a particular type of
medium. They can be formal or thematic.
You are now familiar with the different codes and
conventions used by media professionals to deliver the
message that they want their audience to receive. Your
understanding of the technical, symbolic and written
codes will make you media and information literate
Let us remember:
• Language pertains to the technical and
symbolic ingredients or codes and conventions
that media and information professionals may
select and use in an effort to communicate
ideas, information and knowledge.
• Media language are the codes, conventions,
formats, symbols and narrative structure that
indicate the meaning of media messages to an
audience.
• Messages are the information sent from a
source to a receiver.
• Symbolic codes are social in nature. Such
codes exist beyond the media product
themselves but can be interpreted in similar
ways in the everyday life of the viewer
• Technical codes are all the ways in which
equipment is used to tell a story in a media text
like camera techniques, framing, lighting, etc.
