Dear college freshman (I’m sorry I don’t remember your name),

Congratulations! You’re almost done with your first year of school. You should be very proud of what you’ve accomplished so far, but there is much more to come. My advice to you is to enjoy every minute of your time in college, because soon you’ll join me out here in the real world and I, as a fellow member of society, have certain expectations for you.

I expect you to contribute to society in some form or fashion and in order to do that ­­— to (productively) take part in the ever-evolving national and global dialogue — you need to be media literate.

I know what you’re thinking.

“I’m already media literate,” you’re saying to yourself. “I totally understand the media.”

Do you really though?

Being media literate requires far more than a simple understanding of the various forms of media. I know you are far more technologically capable than I ever will be, but, to be truly media literate, you must not only understand the nature of media, but also how and why those producing the content conveyed via the media you know so well develop their messages. You are going to have to dig beneath the surface and look beyond what you see in your Facebook and Twitter feeds.

In other words, and I know this may be bad news, but your research days are not done when you leave college.

Here’s another tip: You can’t believe everything you see or hear.

I know. You already know that. But…think about it. How often have you seen something online, from one of your friends for example, and simply taken it at face value? I’d guess more than you’d like to admit.

If you expect to be able to offer intelligent commentary on the issues you see or hear about through the media, you have to have an understanding of all sides of the issue. You have to understand the motive behind the message. This may mean expanding your worldview. This can be uncomfortable, but it is necessary if you want to become truly media literate — as you should.

So, how do you do it? How do you ensure you’re media literate?

The answer is actually pretty simple. You work at it. You apply a basic process to what you see or hear and, through that process, you gain the competency and knowledge you need to achieve media literacy.

If you haven’t already learned about this process, you soon will. Here it is:

1. Description: Pay attention, take notes and research the issue.
2. Analysis: Focus on the patterns you notice in the previous phase and, shocker, analyze them.
3. Interpretation: (This is hard) Asking yourself the question, “What does this mean?” when looking at your findings.
4. Evaluation: This is where you reflect on what you’ve found before moving on to:
5. Engagement: This is where you take an action based on your findings. This is where you become the productive member of society that I have no doubt you will become.

I expect it.

Enjoy the rest of school and I’ll see you in the real world.

Best,

Eric