Media Literacy: Focusing the lens on

Latin AmericaDr. Srividya Ramasubramanian

Department of Communication

Texas A&M University

Global citizenship and media literacy

Media shape values, influencing our opinions, and constructing our worldviews

Effective, active, and empowered citizens in a global multimedia community

Media literacy focuses on fostering active inquiry and critical thinking skills about the media messages that we receive and create

Global citizenship and media literacy

Part One: Media flows between Latin America and U.S – television and film industries

Part Two: Critical analysis of U.S media representations of Latin America

Main Principles of Media Literacy

1. Active inquiry and critical thinking about the messages we receive and create.

2. “Literacy” applied to all forms of media.

3. Builds and reinforces skills for learners of all ages.

4. Integrated, interactive, and repeated practice.

Alliance for a Media Literate America

Main Principles of Media Literacy4. Develops informed, reflective and engaged

participation essential for a democratic society

5. Recognizes that media are a part of culture and function as agents of socialization

6. Affirms that people use their individual skills, beliefs and experiences to construct their own meanings from media messages

Alliance for a Media Literate America

What Media Literacy is Not Replacing students’ perspectives with someone

else’s Sharing a critique of media without also sharing

skills to critically analyze media Teaching students to think critically without also

teaching skills of expression or vice versa Using media literacy videos, films, books or other

curriculum materials as a substitute for teaching critical inquiry skills

Alliance for a Media Literate America

What Media Literacy is Not Simply using media in the classroom Asking IF there is a bias in a particular message

(since all media messages are biased), but rather, what the substance, source, and significance of a bias might be

About accepting oversimplifications or overgeneralizations about media or any other topic

About restricting or reducing complex debates to two sides

Alliance for a Media Literate America

Key Questions to Ask when Analyzing Media Messages

Authors and AudiencesAuthorship:

Who made this message?

Purpose: Why was this made?

Economics: Who paid for this?

Impact: Who might benefit from this message? Who might be harmed? Why might this message matter to me?

Response: What kinds of actions might I take in response to this message?

Messages and Meanings

Content: What is this about? What ideas, values, information and point of view are overt? Implied? What is left out of this message that is important to know?

Techniques: What techniques are used? Why were those techniques used? How do they communicate the message?

Interpretations: How might different people understand this message differently? What do I learn about myself from my reaction or interpretation?

Representations and Reality

Context: When was this made?

Where or how was it shared with the public?

Credibility: Is this fact, opinion, or something else?

How credible is this (and what makes you think that)?

What are the sources of the information, ideas, or assertions?

Alliance for a Media Literate America

Part One: Media flow patterns between U.S and

Latin America

The Case of Television and Film Industries

Cultural imperialism versus proximity

Cultural imperialism Richer, mightier countries dominate media

content of subordinating countries

Cultural proximity Media audiences prefer local over foreign

programs Asymmetric interdependence (Straubhaar, 1994)

Evidence for cultural proximity In 2003, about 60 to 80% of programming

was locally produced U.S media content was only 8% of Brazil,

14% in Chile, 13% in Columbia, and 27% in Mexico

U.S. TV programs in Latin America

U.S programs such as The Simpsons and Fresh Prince of Belair popular with younger audiences in large cities in Latin America, especially those in the upper/middle class

Most of the top 10 popular paid channels are U.S based (mainly movies)

Media flows within and outside Latin America Increase in exports from Brazil, Venezuela, and

Mexico to other countries in Latin America and to European countries

Venevision headquartered in Miami uses neutral Spanish; Venezuelan and Mexican actors

Export to U.S.: Brazilian Globo has made telenovelas geared toward Hispanic market in U.S. that describes Mexican characters living in Brazil

Globalization of Latin American TV industry Some Latin American media companies are

collaborating with foreign companies to co-produce movies for TV

Interestingly, many are headquartered in Miami (MTV Latino, Telemundo, and Univision)

Apart from the U.S., Canada, France and Spain-based conglomerates own some channels in Latin America

Support for asymmetric interdependence Modeled after U.S. capitalist profit-

oriented media companies in structure and processes

Smaller countries such as Ecuador import more from U.S. than bigger ones such as Mexico

In some genres such as movies, sitcoms, cartoons, U.S. media dominates

Part Two: Representations of Latin America in U.S. Media

Describe a typical news story about…. Mexico Brazil Venezuela Colombia Argentina Cuba

Group think

Can you guess what 3 themes are discussed the most in news stories about Latin America?

Top Three Themes

Drugs Immigration

Soccer

Is this information surprising?

How about stereotypes of Latin America in entertainment? See Unthinking Eurocentrism book

Traditional Latin American stereotypes in entertainment

The Greaser The Lazy/Stupid “Mexican”

The Latin Lover The Dark Lady

Social identity theory and media Us versus them They are all Mexicans (out-group

homogeneity) The more they are like us, the more we

like them (prototypical similarity)

Assimilation in U.S. culture

On Ugly Betty, America Ferrera’s character Betty has to balance life in her Latino home with life at work in Manhattan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_fullscreen?video_id=kmN7qsWApKk&l=224&t=OEgsToPDskKPrgJ1V3sjqUbscuI7o3d-&sk=OCE4wKt3yRLb-JKINQG3agC&fs=1&title=Ugly%20Betty%20-%20%27A%20Tree%20Grows%20In%20Guadalajara%27%20Summary%20%5BEp.%2022%5D In the summary of Ugly Betty - 'A Tree Grows In

Guadalajara' Summary [Ep. 22]

We see Betty and her family going back to their roots in Mexico to solve family problems, yet still maintain their identity in America

Popular media as a source of information

Television is a primary source of information about racial and ethnic minorities, especially for children from rural backgrounds with little to no direct contact with other races (Graves, 1999)

Cultivation of social reality Higher TV exposure

Greater fear of crime More mistrust in people Higher perceived threat Greater support for law enforcement

(Gerber and colleagues)

Immigration & Media How is immigration portrayed in the media?

Can you guess which countries had the highest and lowest number of news stories?

Mexico 2037

Brazil 1078

Cuba 784

Venezuela 538

Argentina 527

Puerto Rico 343

Colombia 331

Chile 328

Peru 291

Dominican Republic 290

Panama 263

Guatemala 238

Ecuador 197

Bolivia 165

Nicaragua 158

Costa Rica 137

Uruguay 122

Honduras 113

El Salvador 103

Guyana 60

Paraguay 50

Belize 43

Suriname 9

French Guyana 5

Media dependency

Agenda-setting

Episodic versus thematic

Illegal immigration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dft0s_No

a4U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

yTYjKxywzvU

Venezuelan President article Washington Post editorial