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Sowing the seeds of digital and media literacy in Lebanon and the Arab world: The importance of a locally grown and sustainable curriculum
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Melki, Jad |
| Copyright Year | 2013 |
| Abstract | In a country notorious for its recurrent civil strife, religious sectarianism, political and social divisions, and weak sense of citizenry and identity, what can digital and media literacy offer to help mend and bring together highly diverse—and often divisive—cultural expressions? Studies have long shown how Lebanese media—old and new—continue to reproduce social and political divisions and the entrenched confessional political system that has plagued the country for almost a century. More recent studies have also highlighted the poor state of media education in the region and the low level of media literacy among its youth, a segment with the best potential to effect change, if given the chance to engage in the growing participatory culture as empowered citizens, not mere media consumers and reproducers of the status quo. This chapter reviews the advance of digital and media literacy in Lebanon and its potential for enhancing media education and fostering a participatory culture in the region. It highlights the success of a local digital and media literacy brand in instilling critical thinking skills among university students and empowering them to become active producers and full participants in contemporary culture. It tracks the continued attempts to develop and spread media literacy at Lebanese universities, schools, and civil society groups, in the hopes of promoting social change through education and empowerment. Sowing the seeds of digital and media literacy in Lebanon and the Arab World: The importance of a locally grown and sustainable curriculum Media literacy education has much to offer Lebanon and the Arab region, yet it remains in its infancy struggling to affirm its importance in academe. Decades of conflict, rampant corruption, authoritarian rule, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the press have turned much of Arab media education into factories that produce and sustain a “sensorial culture” and “prepare generation after generation of semi-educated journalists whose job is to promote the ‘achievements’ of the state” (Amin, 2002, p. 129). Nevertheless, the past decade has witnessed a revival in media education (Melki, 2011), thanks in part to a revolution in communication technologies and a wave of political and cultural uprising that swept the region and brought digital and media literacy to the forefront, especially in countries like Lebanon. Lebanon has been a leader in promoting media literacy education both at the university and civil society levels, thanks to its relatively free media climate and high degree of academic freedom, in addition to the existence of many media programs and a diverse spectrum of curricula (Melki, 2009). It also has a talented media workforce and a vibrant civil society, with some 3,500 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) spearheading a plethora of causes, some of which are related to media literacy (UNDP, 2009). Therefore, Lebanon offers a significant potential for developing a strong local media literacy brand and for advancing it throughout the region. Simultaneously, Lebanese society stands to gain much from media literacy. At a societal level, Lebanon is made up of highly diverse, often clashing, religious and political cultures and identities. This distinguishing cultural characteristic is partly responsible for its curious freedom but also one of the main culprits behind Lebanon’s confessional sectarian political system, its persistent discriminatory laws and practices (Hanafi and Tiltes, 2008; Farhood, 2009), the lack of social and cultural cohesion, rampant political and economic corruption (Khashan, 2011), and its constant state of political turmoil and instability (Shehadeh, 1998; Dawahare, 2000; Makdisi, Kiwan and Marktanner, 2010). Research extending back decades has shown how Lebanese media—traditional and new—reproduce social and political divisions and the entrenched confessional political system that has plagued the country for almost a century (Dajani, 1992; Nötzold, 2009; Melki, Dabbous, Nasser and Mallat, 2012). Part of the problem is that almost all media institutions are tied to political groups (Al-Najjar, 2011; Melki et al., 2012), and Lebanese audiences tend to follow media that reflect their own ideologies and affiliations. Lebanon’s news media echo the sectarian makeup of the country’s population and closely reflect the agendas of their political sponsors (Dajani, 2006). Moreover, poor critical media literacy skills among Lebanese youth help perpetuate this problem (Melki, 2010). But problems directly or indirectly related to low media literacy levels extend beyond the political sphere and may be linked to Lebanon’s widespread consumerism and a growing materialist culture obsessed with physical appearance, titles and status, and additionally complicated with a conflicted identity that thrives for modernity—particularly in its Western form—yet clings onto contradictory traditional values. Add to that, widespread discrimination against women, who remain severely underrepresented in positions of power, especially in government and media industries and face an oppressive regime of discriminatory laws (Byerly, 2011), matched only by rampant sexually objectifying media stereotypes and a paradoxical culture of sexuality that conflates postmodern sexual body display with traditional expectations of sexuality (Mallat, 2011, p. 81). Moreover, Lebanese Women—and increasingly men—face a “cosmetic surgery and beauty regime” and social pressures that normalize bodily modification and alteration (Doherty, 2008). The increase in demand for plastic surgery seems to never seize and the supply of steroids for overly muscular male figures is becoming increasingly obvious, especially in Beirut. These and other issues make Lebanese society a fertile ground in need of the media literacy seed but also readily able, through its strong educational system, to spread its ideas and concepts throughout the Arab region. State of digital and media literacy education in Lebanon Media literacy in Lebanon has made some advances in the past five years, both on the academic and civil society fronts. One can attribute this progress to the efforts of several academics and civil society leaders, but an important contributing factor has also been the Arab uprisings and the role social media has played in these revolts. The first full-fledged media literacy course to be offered at a Lebanese university was launched in Fall 2009, prompted by a curriculum developed at the Salzburg Academy for Media and Global Change—a global collective that has been producing media literacy curricula since 2007. The course quickly attracted many students at the American University of Beirut (AUB), partly due to combing critical media literacy proficiencies with hands-on digital literacy skills. Later, it became designated a writing intensive course and began to incorporate more locally relevant modules and examples, such as religious sectarianism and political patronage of media institutions. Many students who attended the course also participated in the Salzburg Academy and helped add more local examples and case studies. As an extension to this course, and in an effort to promote media literacy education in Lebanon and the region, AUB hosted in 2011 an international conference titled Digital and Media Literacy: New Directions, with the support of the Open Society Foundations (OSF). The coincidental climaxing of the Arab uprising around the time of the conference strongly contributed to its success in promoting the need for media literacy in the region. Many attendees showed interest in teaching media literacy at their home institutions but complained of the challenges they faced, especially the scarcity of curricular material in Arabic and the lack of skills to teach the course. Subsequently, the conference outcomes report recommended the establishment of an annual academy that trains Arab media professors on teaching digital and media literacy and produces curricular material in Arabic. Supported again by OSF, the academy will debut in summer 2013. Moreover, at the request of a handful of Lebanese universities and schools, AUB faculty members have presented their media literacy curriculum in guest lectures around the country. Two universities adopted parts of the curriculum in their existing communication courses, and several confirmed interest in developing full media literacy courses after attending the summer academy. Several schools have also shown interest in incorporating media literacy in their teaching, but few concrete steps have been taken to implement this. Other universities have also attempted to introduce courses related to media literacy. Lebanese American University (LAU) introduced in Spring 2010 a “Media, Culture, and Technology” course that included some basic media literacy modules (personal communication, February 15, 2013). However, the course was later renamed “Social Media” and became predominantly oriented towards professional online journalism and Web communication skills, including online content generation and dissemination. Other attempts include injecting media literacy modules within the traditional “media and society” courses. These, however, were a far call from the goals and aims of media literacy. In addition, various media literacy modules have existed outside academe. Several civil society groups have been actively offering media and digital literacy training since 2008. Some target youth, underprivileged, and rural communities and minorities in Lebanon, such as Hibr Lubnani (Lebanese Ink), while others pursue small businesses, professionals, journalists, and activists, such as Social Media Exchange (SMEX). Most of the civil society groups tend to focus on teaching digital and social media skills, rather than emphasizing critical competencies. Many also tend to highlight the commercial and professional benefits, rather than communal an |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://mdlab2015.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/melki-english.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203076125 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
