Critical thinking and media literacy

 

Human beings are entities that act and interact with their environment, based on the perception of their surroundings through their senses, which allow them to perceive the world. These senses, in turn, are integrated into their environment as electrical signals that enter their body and brain. Through this perception, humans make decisions that affect their actions.

Thus, humans must be very attentive to what they perceive through their senses; this is what critical thinking is about: processing what enters through our senses, filtering, and discerning. This requires being attentive and asking questions about what we see, hear, and feel.

Currently, digital media encompasses most of our social interactions: TV, cell phones, work, entertainment, business, buying and selling, opinions, etc. And many individuals, companies, and conglomerates have managed to take advantage of this to obtain economic income, followers, etc.—in other words, to influence the decisions of the so-called public. This is why critical thinking becomes more necessary every day. We must discern whether there are ulterior motives in what we see, read, hear, and listen to, so we can truly make our own decisions and form our own opinions.

 

The keywords that appear in the article seem very important to me. That's why I'm quoting them here:

 

 

Key concepts and questions to keep in mind

Key word	Key concept	Key question
Producer	All messages are produced from the perspective of the author. They are creations.	Who is the author of this text?
Presentation	Media texts use special language, images, and sounds to encourage us to pay attention to given elements.	What visual, auditory or linguistic techniques are used to attract me?
Receiver	The reception of the media message depends on who is reading, hearing or seeing it. The beliefs of the audience affect the interpretation of the message.	How might audiences with different perspectives receive the messages in this text?
Ideology	Every media message conveys an implicit ideology or value system.	What different types of people, ideologies and settings are represented in the text?
Objectives	Most media seek to gain money or power.	What seems to be the author’s purpose in sending this message?