Interactive Media Blog #1

I believe that Daley’s main argument in this piece is that in this ever changing world of ours, the definition of literacy is changing with it, but its importance still remains the same. After reading Daley’s article, I have come up with my own definition of literacy that I think can encompass all aspects of literacy, whether it be media or textual literacy. Literacy is the receiver of a message’s ability to interpret that message and form it into a concept that makes the most sense to them. For example, imagine you come across a flyer advertising a furniture sale. One way to take in this add is by looking at the prices and taking into consideration buying a new couch. One with a more skeptical point of view might see this as a corporations sick plot to push cheap furniture on people, and a bastardization of the rainforests. I believe that literacy of the screen brings us more primal feelings and emotions that print cannot. Before there was print, people had to take in information by watching what was happening rather than reading about it. “Think for a moment of the still images that have defined many important moments in U.S. history: the photo essays of the Great Depression; a sailor kissing a girl in Times Square…As icons, they no longer require any explanation for most contemporary Americans…” (Daley, 2). Although a caption can easily explain what is happening in these photos, the expression “a picture is worth 1,000 words” backs up my argument that seeing what is happening has more impact than hearing about it. That’s why as an interactive Media student, I hope that the images and sounds that I produce will have more impact than any thing I could ever write.