We live in a world saturated with media, whether entertainment or propaganda media is everywhere and is used as a focal source of information. With such a vast array of content and a long history of both ethical and unethical uses, you’d think our ability to interpret and analyze media would improve over time. But unfortunately it doesn’t seem that way, in fact its seems the opposite as our ability to determine what’s valid and what’s true even goes on to the internet such as the same people that told you “not to believe everything you see on the internet” when you were younger, falling for the same effect such as “ragebait”. We’ve seem to have lost the ability to discern deeper meanings behind a story.
Think about the last time someone asked your opinion on a movie, and the answer was simply, “It was good, fine, meh,” with no deeper reflection. It’d make sense your brain still needs to fully process what you watch so you’d think about it. But there is a problem, you don’t think about it… like at all. Our brains should process and question what we watch, but we often forget the experience almost immediately. This lack of engagement is why Hollywood cash grabs and why they work so well. The average audience rarely thinks about what they’re watching, so studios exploit our short attention spans for profit. Not every film needs to be deep; fun films like The Mario Movie succeed without demanding profound analysis. Films like The Social Network are misinterpreted for being simply about Zuckerberg’s rise to power and fail to see the commentary on ambition, loneliness and betrayal. Quiz show, a film from 1994 is seen as just a film about a television scandal and fails to see its critique of the corruption of American ideals and the human craving for prestige.
The same problem extends to video games, which are generally more appreciated as art forms. Games like “The Last of Us,” a narrative driven survival game set in an apocalypse and “Disco Elysium,” a point and click adventure game set in the 1950s with branching dialogue trees allowing for different storylines challenge moral binaries and provoke thought about the human condition. While “The Last of Us” guides the player through its narrative like a lecture making it accessible and successful to the point it got its own HBO show. “Disco Elysium” demands active thought, and many players simply shy away.
This decline in media literacy stems largely from the internet especially from simplified, bite-sized social media content that erodes critical thinking skills. We consume so much content that we barely take the time to digest it, losing our ability to differentiate what’s valid from what’s sensationalized. As surveys by the Behavioural Insights Team show, 59% of respondents believe they can spot fake news, while only 36% trust that others can do the same. Meanwhile, according to Statista, 86% of global online citizens have been exposed to fake news, with nearly all initially believing at least one false story.
Losing our ability to critically analyze and evaluate information means we lose the opportunity to connect with art on a deeper level whether through movies, books, or games. Our gullibility grows, and the internet takes full advantage. Encouraging diverse media consumption will allow us to engage with media from multiple perspectives, cultures, viewpoints and creators. We can support writers through criticism and provide thoughtful feedback on the media we consume.
We should ask “Who created this, why did they create this, to level our understanding of a particular media’s purpose. It’s time to re-emphasize media literacy and encourage thoughtful engagement, not just passive consumption, so we can challenge our perceptions, foster empathy, and have meaningful conversations about the art and information shaping our lives.
