Chapter 2 - Lesson 1-Constructedness
Chapter 2 - Lesson 1-Constructedness
Chapter 2 - Lesson 1-Constructedness
o Elaborate on the concept of representation and how representations construct truths, distortions,
and positions.
o Understand that all media are governed by established codes and conventions
o Discuss the concepts of genre and formats. As typical ways of typologizing media and
information texts.
Key Terms:
Representations – the way in which media represents reality. More appropriately, it is how the process of
media creation and production re-presents reality through the decisions and perspectives of its creators.
Media and information literacy is concerned with how certain groups, ideas, faith systems, and topics are
presented from a particular perspective or value system.
Codes – system of signs and symbolic meanings embedded in a media and information text.
Conventions – the established and socially accepted ways of doing things. In media, these are
styles and approaches that have been standardized into the content.
Format – manner of presentation and style that provides a structure for media and
information texts.
Agenda Style
1 Lesson 1
Constructedness: When Do We Say Something Is Constructed?
2 Lesson 2
Codes and Conventions
3 Lesson 3
Genre
4 Lesson 4
Formats
Lesson 1
Constructedness
Earliest days of interpersonal communication
• Messages passed from one place to the next or from one generation to the
other by WORD OF MOUTH
Some of these are:
• Epics
• Folk narratives
• The media employ more than words to construct a more complex reality of society.
Example To capture the world of story, Film and broadcast communication use:
• The language of the camera
• The tools and techniques of editing
• The power of words – as dialog and narration
• A film
• A soap opera series
• Print advertisement
• World that we see in a video games
Process of construction Representations
Requires the exercise of delibera The constructions in any media
te choice to make the work more of certain aspects of reality
appealing to its audiences. The constitutive elements that
make up REALITY
Choices may include:
Examples of those realities are:
What to include
What not to include People
What structure to create Places
How to harness creativity and design Time or historical period
Objects
Ways of life
Constructions create representations.
Identities
It would be better appreciated if we read REPRESENTATIONS as RE-
PRESENTATIONS
Media texts present reality again as it intentionally chooses, writes, composes, frames, edits,
lights, crops, filters, scores through music, and engineers the sound, so that what we see are
entirely constructed and artificial version of the reality we perceive.
Deconstructing
Means taking it apart so that its constitutive elements can be exposed to you.