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Media literacy is not a goal to reach, but an ongoing process in which one can always improve in order to become a better mass media consumer. Media literacy involves critically thinking of the media and understanding the subtext of messages that mass media may be sending. By developing a better understanding in four key areas—media grammar, commercial forces that shape media content, fragmentation of media audiences, and changes in media use because of digital technology—today’s audience member can be aware of when mass media is trying to manipulate them and can act accordingly. Each type of media has its own unique grammar that has developed over time and that helps “set the stage” for how we perceive certain types of content. Online media, because it is so new, is still developing its media grammar and will continue to do so for several years. Commercial forces shape the kinds of media content we see since the vast majority of media companies are for-profit and thus must make money to stay in business. Concentration of media ownership has affected how media companies are run, as more and more media outlets become concentrated in fewer and fewer companies. Because of advances in broadcasting and digital technologies, including the Internet, there is an increasing fragmentation in media audiences. Although this gives a wider diversity of voices, it also threatens to weaken a common sense of community and society as individuals focus on narrow and specific interests. Media ethics has many facets, ranging from decisions journalists and other media professionals must make every day to ethical repercussions in news coverage and entertainment content that originate at the corporate level and that are largely motivated by business interests. Especially for news organizations, the historic mission of serving the public interest can be threatened by corporate parent interests in maximizing profits. This becomes of special concern when companies with media entertainment backgrounds or non-media backgrounds take over news organizations.
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