2. Situating Media Literacy

This chapter situates media literacy within the broader field of communications. An overview of media literacy is explored, examining issues of education, literacy, and agency. Ways of defining media literacy are discussed and four approaches to media literacy are looked at: protectionist, media arts-based, the literacy movement, and critical media literacy. The traditional lack of attention within media literacy on the impact of the medium itself is discussed, along with the importance of the broader context within which our media relations happen.