Media & the Mind: Crash Course Media Literacy #4
You are constantly surrounded by media, so the question is: how does your brain handle all of that? The unfortunate answer is that our brains have a lot of processes that not super helpful for media literacy, but hopefully with a little self-awareness, we can work around that.
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Resources:
How americans get their news: www.journalism.org/2016/07/07/...
Clinton campaign, DNC paid for research that led to Russia dossier: www.washingtonpost.com/world/...
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I love the fact that these videos always have subtitles. They are really usefull for people who, like me, are not native
And people like me with hearing issues!!
Non-native fan here, too! Love the subtitles!
Or anyone who lives near things that produce sounds that might disrupt their ability to hear the video.
You may not be native, but you know how to subordinate your clauses better than most native English speakers!
I think Media literacy should be a required high school course
Definitely. That would be a great help to future society!
Pfft...High school? GRADE SCHOOL!
To a large extent, English/Lit courses are built specifically to encourage critical thinking within students. The problem is that schools are on such a time constraint with a poor budget that it's simply easier to just TELL students what a book means, rather than having them puzzle meanings out of it. By telling students the answer teachers are discouraging critical thinking skills, and teaching them to just rely on an authority figure to tell them what media is right or wrong. It shouldn't be surprising that as we reach the limits of what our schooling systems can do with what little they have we find more and more people voting in line with whatever media confirms their political biases. Especially when Twitter is so easily accessible, and often more engaging than any classroom.
We were required to take one year of media literacy in high school. (and one in middle school). I'm afraid it didn't make that big of a difference :( We were taught the history of various media (radio, tv, film,...), and about types of journalistic writing and we were supposed to follow a topic across all media for a few months. The problem is, that knowing that media is not always reliable is one thing, and actually spending hours on research is another. (btw I'm from the Czech Republic)
Illyria Brejcha A problem with America's academic system is that it does not really teach kids to think critically (as aforementioned in his thread). So teachers have to rush through a textbook throughout a single semester or single year and the students just regurgitate the information they've been told back out onto their test. I advocate for media literacy in America's system for both the historical value and because of how quickly our society is engulfed by media. It's something to be researched and applied to our everyday uses. Also in part 3 of their Media Literacy videos, Smooth mentioned how "The Media" has become an umbrella term for mass communications and people use this term to generalize mainstream and relatively known news outlets for portrayals, not seeing reports on a thing (that was actually covered most of the times) and stereotypes of certain groups. Apart of this can be attributed to the bipartisan leaning of the outlets but apart of it is also people not knowing how journalism works. A course on media literacy wouldn't drastically change everyone's perception on it but it greatly improve how Americans perceive it.
I really appreciate the concrete example of the Steele dossier, and how biases of both sides played into their reactions to it. You didn't make one seem more obviously wrong than the other, and how different people can draw radically different conclusions from the same information.
i love how you can find psychology in almost everything
This is an excellent Crash Course series. Really digs into the reality of media consumption and discusses confirmation bias which is a little understood concept. Can’t wait til they discuss ways to overcome bias and how to think critically.
I live in India...and this course is really necessary for every Indian.
Wow Jay Smooth you are a great host. I'm glad to see such an important topic covered on Crash Course. Keep up the great work.
+1
I just found out about this course 5 minutes ago and now there's a new video yay ! can't wait for the weekend so I can binge
Any more, the more outraged I feel at a piece of information at first glance, the more I feel like I need to re-examine it.
Number Six Agreed. Take the emotion out, then re-evaluate it.
Zaman Siddiqui The problem it's easy for some hard for most. Or rather most don't even want to :(
Jvt PS Indeed.
Don't tell me how good I am at tying shoes, Jay Smooth... Every day is a struggle.
All day long.
♪ ALL NIGHT LOOOONG... ♪
I read this as he said it
Great episode, congratulations to everyone involved
I remember in 2013, being so frustrated on the thatguywiththeglasses forums, trying to convince people that -yes- the media affects you. A lot of people scoffed and insisted they were “skeptics” and could never be influenced by media in anyway they didn’t want. It was so stupid. Now look where we are. 😖
Oh yeah ... one of the most dangerous ways to misuse critical thinking is to stop too soon ... it's the illusion that we've done it sufficiently and that we can rest assured that our perception of the truth is unassailable. It really worries me how the elements of critical thinking can be so easily misapplied, and how particularly in this area 'a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous'. I want to believe that anything is better than nothing but often this can do more harm than good and reinforce confirmation bias rather than helping to erode it.
One of the dumbest and most arrogant things you can think is that you're above bias or influence.
I'm _really_ enjoying this course. And I'm trying to share it as far and wide as I can. It's *so* important.
Great upload. It still amazes me that most people take what they see, hear, and read in the media at face value. I thought we had learnt to be more skeptical and discerning than that
This series is unbelievably timely and important.
Fantastic video! It definitely got me thinking about my own biases and mental shortcuts.
This lesson is amazing! Wish I knew this before going to college. But it's never too late. Glad I found you and all the helpful content that you're producing! Thank you so much!!
This show is awesome. I would just like to put a different perspective on that phrase about fake news. If you never fallen to fake news before, you probally didn't even notice you did then. We can't be sure of everything.
Truth resists simplicity
This video is FANTASTIC.
I taught media literarcy in high school. I would have loved to have had these videos as a teaching aid.
Love this series, very thought provoking.
This episode was on point. Thanks! Excited for the next episode.
Strong critical thinking skills are so important. Thanks for the videos, Jay Smooth and Crash Course.
Well timed
He NEVER breaks eye contact! Edit: well just to roll his eyes.
This series is very timely and relevant...
I have brain damage and deal with false and inaccurate memories on a daily basis. I am also very familiar with my brain “filling in the gaps” as a means of picking up the slack for the damaged sections, specifically things regarding time perception and language.
I love this series.
Bless this course.
This explination was adequate and satisfying.
This episode makes for an interesting debate if you apply it to religious text, for instance the persistence of confirmation bias. It also applies to information satisficing, where people with a lack of critical thinking will accept whatever answer the scriptures "in front of them will provide, regardless of whether it's the right one". They're also "stories, simple, easy to understand, fills in some gaps", so people are prone to believe in it, accept it with "wide open arms, even if it's false". Religious institutes "know these tricks too" most likely.
love the gangstarr, nas, and tribe posters; your subliminal advertisement has me nodding my head
This persona 4 analysis is really good
Very well done
This video has a lot of [citation needed] on the claims it makes about how the mind works or claims about how people react(ed) to things. I really wish there was a works cited or "for further reading" on these things.
Awesome... This course should be mandatory in junior school!
Thank you for sharing!
Dude, you killed me with the Bill Paxton reference, that's absolutely true!!! LMFAO!!! Why is that?!!!!!
I love the you videos!! Haven't watched this one yet but I know it will be good!!!
Chestnut Bulldog also me
That is one deep and nice voice
OMG! I didn't realize that Jay was on Crash Course! I'm so happy!
Favorite video! Favorite channel and series and... Wait, why my brain is doing this medial ...thing?
Thank you crash course. Our exam will cover this!
Nice series, and even nicer host.
I'd really love his take on himself because i for one am biased towards the meme supported, slightly sarcastic style of the videos but i wonder how that impacts the size of the audience this series can reach and since it's media literacy i bet this was a consideration.... staying curious over here :)
Good job, thanks!
Great video! Thanks, John Lloyd! Galing mo talaga, Idol!
Crash course,supply the shirts,,lol..good job on the series. Enlightening
Props for Crash Course Astronomy poster from our boy the Bad Astronomer
Amazing
haha love the NAS poster cartoon Jay Smooth nice...
If you want a great exploration of story in culture, the episode of Star Trek TNG, "Darmok" is awesome. You dont really need to know anything abouy star trek to enjoy it! It involves trying to communicate with a species that doesnt have a language that can be translated by the universal translator-an interesting challenge with interesting results! Well worth a watch-and easy to get a hold of on streaming services....
IMO this is the best series on CC! (maybe because I love Media so much), but really it's so interesting and not boring at all!! excited to see more videos from you mate :)
Great Channel!
Thanks from Gujarat India!
I appreciate the Nas and Tribe Called Quest album covers at 5:30
Could you try and do a CrashCourse on Standing Rock in North Dakota?
yes 😅
I really like the way you speak. Pace, volume, fluency, everything. It makes processing the information easier :D
So smoooothhhh man-The Dude
Cool video!
thanks for the video !! :)
Yeah, that sounds about right. Alright, next! I got stuff to do!
Awww... I’m sure your cat loves you...
"How can those 30 people click 'unlike' button for such a good course！" we are doing something related to media literacy every day.
Literally while listening to him talk about automated actions and muscle memory, I'm rolling a cigarette and I cannot for the life of me do it consciously, it's completely automated :D
i keep my mind open both side of everything its the secret to learning and growing
Just keep in mind that there are often more than two sides - don't fall into the duality trap.
oh i know i beleive in non duality (advaita vedanta) i just meant im able to see perspectives on either side of something and that everything in the universe is one. duality is an illusion
Music theory course would be awesome
he reminds me of my media literacy teacher
RIP Bill Paxton.
Brains don't tell your heart *to* beat (can modulate rate tho).
Please make CRASH COURSE MEMES
Way to go J smooth.
Are there any teachers out there who have developed worksheets or assignments based on this series?
With all this being said I do believe Crash Course videos themselves are not free of bias. I have a feeling I detect a leaning to liberal values that can slowly infiltrate impressionable minds.
Well this video was far better than others.
Interesting, if I see something about a complex topic that makes me think "I've read a story like this before", it makes me immediately suspicious. If it looks suspiciously black and white I usually think that it's been oversimplified (,again).
That Judas Priest album cover in the background is a nice touch.
It IS Bill Paxton! How did you know?
This is all very interesting, but I still don't know how to know if my cat loves me!!
It's always Bill Paxton.
Trying to place that second album cover, second to *Fear of a Black Planet* that is.
RAM != processing power
in the example of the trump-russia dossier, my first reaction was: yep both of those are true
FIRST... or 20th idk
Your cat loves you, Jay. Your cat loves you!
Hey what about fake specs of tech groups? it will be interesting topic.
Actually, I was trying to remember Bill Pullman.
I just want to work for them. . .
"Yeah man, but it's a dry heat"
Bro this is where the tiktok song comes from. (Intro)
why do they reference titanic so often?
new term found; INFORMATION SATISFACING (combo of satisfying & sufficing)
No no it's not Bill Paxton it's that guy, that guy from children of men and closer? Ugh what's his name? I can list many movies he's been in but I always forget his name.
Clive Owen
what happened to chapter 3?
History of Media Lit Part #2 was chapter 3 ... confusing, I know.
What's this guy's name?
Nas poster in the background
Hi
Omg!!!