Media Literacy Glossary
Media literacy involves a specialized language. The following list of definitions will help as you interact with the media.
Agenda-setting theory: A theory that the news media shape public opinion by controlling the transmission of stories
Audience: Anyone exposed to a media message, or anyone for whom a message is constructed
Bias: Partiality, preference, or prejudice for/against a person, thing, or idea
Branding: Creating an identity for a product or service based on a name, slogan, symbol, or feeling
Censorship: Controlling or suppressing any part of a media message or text
Connotation: Meaning added to a media message by the audience
Consumer: Any person who experiences or interacts with a media message
Convergence: Several separate media industries (newspapers, video, music) operating together through advances in technology (e.g., smart phones)
Demographics: Measurable characteristics of a particular group, such as age, gender, locale, and income level
Denotation: The literal meaning of a media message (what is seen, heard, etc.)
Digital media: Electronic media that use a digital code
Gatekeepers: Those within the news media who control the flow of information and spread of ideas (see also agenda-setting theory)
Mainstream media: Media that disseminate messages to the general public via the largest distribution channels
Mass media: Media that broadcast messages to large audiences (see also mainstream media)
Media: All channels of communication combined
Media literacy: The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms
Media specialist: Someone knowledgeable about accessing a range of information in a variety of media formats
Medium: Any single channel of communication (the singular form of “media”)
Product placement: “Advertising” products by using them as props in television shows and movies
Propaganda: Information intended to influence an audience to adopt a certain point of view
Subtext: Indirect meaning contained in a media message
Target audience: The person or group that a media message is meant to reach
Text: Any media production (a newspaper article, song, music video, podcast, etc.)
Visual literacy: The ability to analyze, evaluate, and interpret visual elements