A person who is media literate is able to be discerning and challenge the media that they are presented with, not accepting it at face value, and creating a personal meaning (Thoman, 2003). This isn’t an innate ability, which is why the media literacy framework was created: so students can ask the right questions about that with which they are presented (Thoman, 2003).
In the New South Wales Higher School Certificate (HSC), students need to find supplementary resources to fit in with their Area of Study on the topic of Belonging (Board of Studies New South Wales, 2009). Students from all English levels (Standard, Advanced and English as a Second Language) must study this topic, exploring the way that the concept of belonging is represented in and through texts (NSW HSC Online, no date). I have chosen to focus on the website ReconciliACTIONnsw, as it suitably demonstrates the concept of belonging in a historical context, with a history of Indigenous Australians and their struggles, as well as showing the sense of belonging that can come from being part of a community of like-minded individuals, which the ReconciliACTIONnsw website attempts to create (ReconciliaACTIONnsw, 2010).
The reason I chose to do a close reading of a website is because the need for media literacy is especially important when dealing with the internet (Kellner & Share, 2005). There is so much information online, not all of it real or useful, that students need to be able to scrutinise and wade through the information, being able to question what they see and know which sites are relevant or what the hidden agendas are (Kellner & Share, 2005). In order to do this, the media literacy framework, consisting of five questions, was designed in order to guide students into becoming text analysts (Thoman, 2003).
Let’s look at the ReconciliACTION site with the framework:
1. Who created this message and why are they sending it?
Text:
Welcome to ReconciliACTIONnsw!
ReconciliACTIONnsw is a network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people who have an interest in reconciliation and Indigenous rights issues and those who are active in their communities.
ReconciliACTION was started in 2002 by a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people from metropolitan, regional and remote New South Wales. Since then ReconciliACTION has grown to become a national network which includes young people from across Australia, with autonomous partner groups in NSW, the ACT and Victoria.
Our aims include community education, advocacy, support for young people working to overcome racism in their local communities and skills and leadership development.ReconciliACTIONnsw is open to all interested people aged between 16 and 29 years.
What's really interesting to note about this site is that it is written by people who are young, many of whom are Indigenous Australians. In traditional media, such as television, print, and radio, the dominant culture prevails, with most coverage being about the dominant culture, as well as the dominant culture controlling the coverage and representation of any other cultures (Alia & Bull, 2005). However, minorities and other underrepresented people have found the internet has given them a public forum on which they can air their views and ideas (Thwaites, Davis & Mules (2002). In this case, the minorities are Indigenous people and young people, often seen as voiceless, but finding that they can give voice to their concerns online.
ReconciliACTIONnsw is aimed at other young people who either share their views or might be open to alternative views in the hopes of creating a community of people who are working towards a reconciled Australia. Yet we must remember that this site is just as constructed as any other. In fact, its construction is quite masterful, with the highlighting of positive notions of reconciliation, community and Indigenous Rights, without dwelling on the negative views or the arguments against reconciliation.
2. What techniques are being used?
The site's success lies in its simplicity: it is uncluttered, well-organised, consistent, with the same banner and background used throughout each page, and has only a few images, although these images are very effective. The site's message of reconciliation is reinforced by the images, with both the site banner and the picture on the main page repeating the image of hands:
Hands are an incredibly evocative image, especially when looking at it through the lens of semiotics. Hands can represent caring, helping, sharing, blessing, or healing. Holding hands is often a sign of peace and friendship, like shaking hands when meeting someone, or shaking hands in a Catholic church as a sign of peace. The position of the hand can also have meaning, with hands made into a fist having a completely different meaning to an open hand with the palm facing upwards. In the image above in particular, one could read that the two hands are coming together at one; one of the hands is darker than the other, so it could represent Indigenous and non-Indigenous people creating peace; and there is a white substance coming through the enclosed hands, possibly representing the paint that Indigenous people often wear on their body during ceremonies. However, this is just one interpretation out of a myriad of interpretations that could possibly be made - it all depends on who is viewing the image as to what they will glean.
3. What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in the message?
As Thoman emphasises that all media is attempting to sell something, be it a product, or a lifestyle, so too does ReconciliACTIONnsw (2005). The site works very hard to make the concept of reconcilliation and the overcoming of racism seem natural. They have set the site up to be mostly factual, giving a list of their Aims and Objectives, almost as if it were a political party setting up its platform. Reconciliation is a contentious issue, so it makes sense to try and sell the idea in a way that is non-confrontational to those people who may not agree with the idea. By presenting facts, rather than attempting to pull heart-strings with personal stories or anecdotal evidence, the argument for overcoming racism seems incredibly valid and reasonable.
Appealing to people's rational sides rather than their emotional ones also corresponds to the site's aim to inform young people about the issues, but then ultimately use this information to become active in their communities in addressing the difficulties Indigenous people face.
4. How might different people understand this message differently from me?
As discussed above, the site makes use of several images of hands, most likely to evoke positive personal meanings. But although the image of hands has been encoded into the dominant Australian cultural framework, we must also remember that not everyone will take away the same meaning from the same image, with every analysis coming from one's own cultural and personal literacy (Kellner & Share, 2005). With this in mind, the site needs to try and evoke the positive connotations associated with the images for those that will take that from them, but also ensure that it doesn't alienate anyone else, which may be the reason for only displaying a few images.
5. What is omitted from this message?
Just as choosing what will go into a website, the choice of what to leave out of a site is just as important in the construction of the message (Kellner & Share, 2005). In this site, the personal element of this message is missing, which is an interesting choice to make on the creator's part, and it is always a carefully planned decision (Thoman, 2005). Perhaps this site was created to appeal to people's rational sides rather than their emotional sides, which does tie-in with the site's Getting Active page.
You can see from just this short analysis, even a site that may seem as straightforward and innocuous as ReconciliACTIONnsw still has an agenda, with each page being carefully chosen and calculated. We all need to open our eyes and constantly question the images and information we're being presented with in order to ensure we are as informed as we can be, and make decisions that are right for us, not just some company's bottom line.
Works Cited
Alia, V., & Bull, S. (2005). Media and Ethnic Minorities. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2005). Toward Critical Media Literacy: Core Concepts, Debates, Organizations, and Policy. Discourse; studies in the cultual politics of education , 26 (3), 369-386.
Thoman, E. (2003). Skills and Strategies for Media Education. Retrieved May 01, 2010, from Centre for Media Literacy: http://www.medialit.org/
Thwaites, T., Davis, L., & Mules, W. (2002). Introducing Cultural & Media Studies: A Semiotic Approach. New York: Palgrave.
Unknown. (2010). Retrieved June 01, 2010, from ReconciliACTION Network: http://reconciliaction.org.au/nsw/
