Meaning does not reside in the media text itself, but is a
product of the interaction between text and audience. Audiences
interpret meaning based on situational elements such as
geography, culture, age, class, gender, time of day, and the
context in which they interact with the medium. Various media
forms resonate in different ways, depending upon the
experiences, values and knowledge that audiences bring to it.
Although audiences differ in their perceptions, understandings
and reactions to media, the key to media literacy is to educate
them to be aware of their own subjectivity as well as that of
others. 2. All media are constructions Media are neither reality
nor windows to the world. Instead, they are carefully
constructed products – from newspaper headlines to nature
documentaries. A media literate person is aware that many
decisions are made in the construction of each media product and
that even the most realistic images represent someone’s
interpretation of reality. By critiquing and constructing medi