SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY LITERACY & MEDIA ECOLOGY:

LEVERAGING COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY FOR THE COMMON GOOD

New Roads School, Santa Monica, CA,

RONAN HALLOWELL M.A.

rhallowell@newroads.org

web.mac.com/dronanh

IN THE U.S. TODAY SOCIAL BONDS ARE FRAYING

WE CAN EACH HELP IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETY

OUR SOCIETY WILL BECOME MORE POLARIZED IF WE DO NOTHING

WE WANT A FAIR AND DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY

DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY REQUIRES INDIVIDUAL & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

WE NEED TOOLS & MEDIA TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILTY

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY LITERACY REQUIRES EDUCATION

9

INEQUALITY HAS BEEN INCREASINGTable 1. REAL ANNUAL INCOME GROWTH BY GROUPS, 1993-2006

Average Income Real Annual

Growth

Top 1% Incomes Real Annual

Growth

Bottom 99% Incomes Real

Annual Growth

Fraction of total growth captured

by top 1%

  (1) (2) (3) (4)

Full period 1993-2006 2.0% 5.8% 1.2% 52%

Clinton Expansion 1993-2000 4.0% 10.3% 2.7% 45%

Bush Expansion 2002-2006 2.9% 10.9% 1.0% 73%

DECOMPOSING THE TOP DECILE US INCOME SHARE INTO 3 GROUPS

1913-2006

Source: Piketty and Saez (2003), series updated to 2006.Income is defined as market income including capital gains.http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/TabFig2006prel.xls

THE RICH GET RICHER

• .dkj

U.S. POVERTY RATE VS. OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

POVERTY & EDUCATION

EDUCATION & HEALTH CARE ARE IN CRISIS

TO IMPROVE EDUCATION WE MUST ADDRESS RELATED SOCIAL ISSUES

15

UNEMPLOYMENT, CRIME, RACISM, HOPELESSNESS & LACK OF PUBLIC

SERVICES AFFECT STUDENTS ABILITY TO LEARN

MEDIA IS OUR SOCIAL GLUE

“MEDIA ECOLOGY LOOKS INTO… HOW MEDIA OF COMMUNICATION AFFECT HUMAN PERCEPTION,

UNDERSTANDING, FEELING, AND VALUE....”-Neil Postman

18

“[MEDIA ECOLOGY EXAMINES HOW] OUR INTERACTION WITH MEDIA FACILITATES OR

IMPEDES OUR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL.”—Neil Postman

MEDIA AND CONSUMER CULTURE CONTRIBUTE TO MASS MEDIATED

STUPEFACTION

WEAPON OF MASS DISTRACTION

MEDIA SHOULD DO MORE TO RAISE AWARENESS

22

MASS MEDIA CORPORATIONS SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE FREE PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAMMING

MEDIA LITERACY SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS

PBS TV STATION WEBSITE ON MEDIA LITERACY

ONE OF THE FIRST MEDIA LITERACY NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATINS

Text

SEVERAL NON-PROFITS & POLICY ORGANIZATIONS ARE PRODUCING INTERNET & BROADCAST MEDIA CAMPAIGNS

AROUND IMPORTANT ISSUES

CAMPAIGN TO RAISE VISIBILITY OF EDUCATION ISSUES IN AN IMPORTANT ELECTION YEAR. INCLUDES TV ADS

CELEBRITY SUPPORTED CAMPAIGN TO ADDRESS GLOBAL POVERTY

AL GORE’S FAMOUS EFFORT TO ADDRESS GLOBAL WARMING

LEONARDO DICAPRIO’S FILM AND INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS THE OVERALL WORLD ECO-CRISIS

YOUTH FOR HUMAN RIGHTS-INCLUDES DIGITAL VIDEO SERIES

MEDIA SHOULD HELP FOSTER SOCIAL CAPITAL CREATION

SOCIAL CAPITAL= SOCIAL NETWORKS + NORMS OF RECIPROCITY=VALUE/SOCIAL WEALTH

34

TAKE ACTION: ATTEND PUBLIC MEETINGS

35

LOG OFF, GO TO THE PARK & SAY HELLO TO SOMEONE

36

SUPPORT LOCAL SCHOOL FUNDING

37

IF YOUR ARE RELIGIOUS OR SPIRITUAL DEEPEN PRACTICES THAT FOSTER INCLUSIVENESS,

COMPASSION & TOLERANCE

38

IF YOU ARE NOT RELIGIOUS DEEPEN PRACTICE OF SECULAR CODE OF ETHICS & CULTIVATE

TOLERANCE & COMPASSION

secular humanism

39

SHARE YOUR CONCERNS WITH OTHERS & CONSUME MEDIA WITH AWARENESS

40

LAUGH, CRY, CELEBRATE, GRIEVE

41

WE CAN’T TELL THE CHILDREN THERE IS NO HOPE

42

HOPE + IMAGINATION + MUTUALITYMOVE TOWARD WHAT IS NOT YET BUT COULD BE

http://www.toddpowelson.com/Images/Imagination.jpg