The Blog: ministry, music, media

Parents, is Media a Tool for Communication? posted on July 28, 2009

I like media and the messages it has the potential to relate. There are millions of good-hearted folks sharing their good hearted messages all over the Internet. There are also those who have built profitable businesses creating media that consumers will pay for; television, movies, and music are part of this big business that we use everyday.

It it my prayer that we recognize how this tool called media transmits messages we are not always aware are being transmitted and make choices that help shape how we find meaning in life. If we act out of the sense of values that we have learned through our faith formation we are acting out of our faith while living in popular culture. We can bring our faith to our daily choices in western culture regarding media. With or without faith as the compass, the ability to make choices regarding the media we consume because of the messages shared through media is called, media literacy.

When the actors used in a TV commercial to sell some household cleaning product are generally female, perhaps with children around, ask yourself: Who is this ad appealing to so as to make a sale? The casting tells a lot, for example: how old is the woman, how old are the children, is the house (the TV set) in the city or suburbs, what is the race of the actors, how are the actors dressed etc. You rarely see some big man in the bathroom smiling to clean the toilet with some product, unless he is Mr. Clean and owns the company that saves the women from the dreary business of housework. Does this transmit a message to the children watching that only women clean the bathroom and men own the company? How many times would that message be taken in before it becomes an assumption? Lots of messages are transmitted that go beyond the initial layer of product, price, place to purchase.

On Common Good Radio, media literacy is part of what we do. We only play music that will contribute to the well-being of children through messages that are helpful, hopeful and prayerfully, uplifting. We desire to create the expectation that our music can answer a need families have about wanting commercial-free music, online. We do not accept advertising dollars because the ads do not always put the well-being of children first, it is not their job; their job is to sell something. This makes some sense for the adults who can make reasoned and informed choices, but young kids are not able to distinguish the various methods and techniques used to gain their attention to sell a product. We want CGR to be about the music and its positive messages so we are committed to remain commercial-free.

Jim Potteris an expert at discussing, writing about, teaching and sharing ideas about media literacy. He has published a number of books on the subject and through them makes media literacy understandable as a lifestyle when living in a media culture. Check out this quote from one of his recent books: Medial Literacy, 4th edition:
“If you are media literate and carefully monitor your exposures to make sure they are truly guided by your needs, and if you carefully search for those messages that best satisfy your needs, then you will be using media as a tool The media messages will be making your life substantially better.” p. 55.

Thanks, Dr. Potter! We agree.

How is the commercial free aspect of CGR working for you?
blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin

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