Media Literacy refers to the ability to read, decode and process, with a critical spirit, information conveyed by the mass media. Our projects are based on the cognitive approach to media literacy of Potter (2004) which focuses on 3 orders of interconnected cognitive processes and abilities, namely:
- Knowledge: the acquisition of “knowledge” on the world of media, e.g. its contents, the way they work, the effects etc.
- Cognitive skills: the development or reinforcement of cognitive skills that are crucial in the processing of media messages, such as the ability to analyze, critically evaluate, and synthesize messages coming from the media world
- Awareness: the development of the ability to redefine one’s awareness and goals through active and personal efforts, minimizing the possible negative effects of the media.
Media literacy projects have been developed with the aim of helping adolescents and young adults develop crucial skills in recognising and critically assessing messages from the media. As a matter of facts, media often give a distorted and potentially harmful image of sport, that seems to suggest and support “unrealistic” ideas of the body and goals regarding sports. The interventions we developed were built to help students modify these negative and distorted views coming from the media, and to elicit positive and alternative ways of conceiving media messages about sport and substance use. In fact, among the various sources of pressure that athletes can receive towards the use of substances, media represent a predominant source, as they have a great impact, often presenting successful models. If on the one hand these models may represent a source of attraction, on the other hand they embody goals that are often unrealistic or impossible to achieve. (e.g. Finley and Finley, 2006). Therefore, it seems crucial to encourage the development of critical and analytical skills to ensure a better reading of the messages conveyed by the media on issues concerning sport and substance use.
Publications
- Mallia, L., Chirico, A., Zelli, A., Galli, F., Palombi, T., Bortoli, L., Conti, C., Diotaiuti, P., Robazza, C., Schena, F., Vitali, F., Zandonai, T., Lucidi, F. (2020). The Implementation and Evaluation of a Media Literacy Intervention About PAES Use in Sport Science Students. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(March), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00368
- Galli, F., Palombi, T., Mallia, L., Chirico, A., Zandonai, T., Alivernini, F., De Maria, A., Zelli, A., Lucidi, F. (2021). Promoting media literacy online: An intervention on performance and appearance enhancement substances with sport high school students. Environmental Research and Public Health.
Poster
- Palombi, T., Giancamilli, F., Chirico,A., Zandonai, T., Mallia, L., Zelli,A., Lucidi, F., Galli, F. (2021) Valutazione di un intervento online di media literacy sull’utilizzo di PAES rivolto a studenti di licei sportivi. XXIII Congresso Nazionale AIPS.
Researchers
