NargisKosimova,
associate professor of international
of journalism of the Uzbek State University of World Languages
Keywords: Uzbekistan, media literacy, population, print media, audience
With the advent of advanced information technologies in our lives, the popularity of media devices has also increased, which open up unlimited possibilities for their users, in particular in receiving information. However, with the development of mass media and technological progress, cases of spreading misinforming information among the general public have increased. Alas, to control this process is extremely difficult. Based on this state of affairs, the only correct way out is to teach the general public about the fundamentals of media literacy, and the introduction of such a discipline as media education in the educational process in educational institutions will help to save the population from the risk of falling victim to the negative impact of the media.
The modern media space is a huge unlimited platform for expressing opinions. This includes mass media. Being the main producer and distributor of information, the media should be aware of the importance of such concepts as objectivity, impartiality, impartiality. Being the “fourth estate”, the media are called upon to first of all defend the interests of the people, ordinary citizens, as the head of state repeatedly stated during his speeches. It is based on the high needs of modern man for information that the role of media literacy increases. On the example of foreign countries, one can observe how effectively the presence in the curricula of such a subject as «Media Education».
Currently, in the Republic of Uzbekistan, there are some problems in teaching media literacy through the media. It:
- The process of globalization is actively observed in every sphere of human activity, including in the media space. In connection with the acquisition by the media of the opportunity to distribute messages with great speed. However, this entails some drawbacks, in particular the possibility of the audience falling under the negative influence of the information disseminator, in our case the media. Thus, the issue of mastering the basics of media literacy has become a requirement of time for every modern inhabitant of the planet. Exactly how to form them with an audience is considered in our work.
- The emergence of mass media, in particular electronic, was practically the main disseminator of information in the twenty-first century and resulted in frequent cases of publication of fake messages, which later spread among millions of users and turn into a large-scale problem. The ability to properly respond to such attacks by the media lies at the heart of such a discipline as media education. Possession of elementary ideas about it, definitely, will help a person to stay away from the aggressive actions of unscrupulous media.
- In the age of information technology and the Internet, the print media has in many ways begun to look weaker than its competitors, especially electronic media resources. However, the print press still makes itself felt through strong analytics and proposed solutions to existing problems in society. Today, newspapers and magazines are gradually moving into the online space. It is such a move on the part of the print media that is becoming one of the most effective ways to attract a wide audience today.
- One of the main tasks facing the domestic media today is an objective, operational, comprehensive coverage of the ongoing reforms in the republic. It is the responsible approach of journalists to public policy coverage that creates a high-quality media space, makes society legally literate. The problem of the current mass media is the lack of understanding of their role in the process of reforming the state, as well as the level of public awareness.
Based on the above problems, to raise the levels of media literacy of the population through the print media of Uzbekistan we can recommend the following:
- First of all, it is necessary to approach the choice of the source of information with care. It is important to understand such a thing as «fake».
- The print media, as a rule, offers its audience a detailed analytics, specific facts, comments of responsible persons. Thus, the choice in favor of the printed media presents the reader with the opportunity to find out the information in a more detailed form.
- It is important to introduce such a discipline as media education in the educational process starting from the primary grades. Formation in the child of ideas about media space and the possible consequences of its misuse can protect an individual in the future from negative impact from outside, in particular from the Internet and social networks.
- Raising your own level of legal literacy and awareness in public policy is the responsibility of every modern citizen. Based on this, it follows that a person, in turn, must himself be interested in the events around him.
- It is important to be able to pass information through a kind of internal “filter”, the presence of which will allow a person to protect himself from possible negative attacks from the outside. Having processed the received information properly, a person certainly acquires a special idea about it.
Media education is a process of education and personal development, aimed at creating a culture of perception, analysis, interpretation and critical understanding of messages received through the media. Media literacy is considered as the goal and result of this discipline and is a complex and diverse concept, combining a wide range of different educational approaches, theories, methods, goals, results.
It is safe to say that media literacy has nowadays become a necessity. On the one hand, there is a need to study this discipline both at school and in higher education. At the same time, information literacy emphasizes the importance of access to information, its evaluation and use, and media literacy focuses on the ability to understand media functions, evaluate the quality of performance of these functions, and engage in rational interaction with media in the interests of self-expression.
Learning media information literacy consists of many components. This includes the ability to work with various information, create and interpret media text, have skills to work with modern gadgets and devices, consciously choose one or another content, critically interpret it, interpret and use it. Also, media competence in the modern world can become an important tool in preventing the negative consequences of man-made disasters, natural disasters, as well as preventing the actions of terrorist groups.
The global nature of the informatization process observed throughout the world, as well as the dynamic development of information and communication technologies and new media, have highlighted the need for special information training for people.