Student, Ladue Horton Watkins High School
by Bea Dageforde
I never realized how important media literacy was until I met someone who is media illiterate. In this day and age, a person like that is hard to find. Luckily, I have my mother to help me appreciate my advanced knowledge of media. For years, I texted, emailed attachments and links, and even turned on the T.V. for her. No matter how many diagrams, step-by-step instructions or demonstrations I gave her, if I was not at home, all my mom could do was read. With my college days fast approaching, I enrolled both my mother and father into Bea Dageforde’s Media 101 Crash Course and we set out to work.
In order to help my parents understand, I had to first put myself into their minds and figure out how they are surviving in today’s media-centered world. How do they have any friends when a single text takes them 10 minutes to type? Would they even have the same jobs if they had realized the doors that media literacy opens?
Then I started to think more, and I thought about how different I would be if I knew as little as my mom does about media. Without Facebook or Twitter, I would have a major disadvantage in the social shark tank. Doing research for a school paper would be twice as difficult and successfully completing college applications would be next to impossible! My entire college search has been online; with the exception of visits to the campuses. I’ve also realized that without media, I would be a completely different person. Film and television has become a big part of my life, since I want to pursue a career in this field. If that huge chunk was missing, then something else, such as math, might move in and fill that gap. I would NOT be okay with that!
Media has become so important in every aspect of my life that I am so grateful that I have the ability to analyze and comprehend it.
Mom, you have my sympathies.
Bea Dangeforde, Senior, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, joined Ladue Broadcasting at the beginning of her junior year and, since then, has become ” really interested” in the world of media. She’s created multiple news features and promos for the school’s news show, Ladue View. Next year, she hopes to attend DePauw University to study music, business, film and media studies. Her goal: to be a music supervisor.
