Using critical media literacy and Youth-Led research to promote the sociopolitical development of black youth: Strategies from our voices

In this paper Dr. Nkemka Anyiwo shares results from the Our Voices project with Black youth. The goal of that project was to promote the sociopolitical development (SPD) of the young participants by honing their skills in critiquing media images. Critical media literacy seems to be a manifestation of critical pedagogy, a notion that many have traced back to the work of Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire (Friere, 2000; McLaren & Leonard, 1993). Critical pedagogy has informed the work of a range of stakeholders interested in the promotion of educational experiences that advance freedom and social justice. Drawing attention to social justice in developmental science is the intent of this special issue of the Journal of Applied Developmental Science, edited by Drs. Velma McBride Murray and Riana Anderson. This particular paper is a perfect fit for the special issue insofar as Our Voices encourages youth to be aware of, critique, and object to the unjust and false images and stories about Black people promulgated in the media. Since the 1950s mass media has become a more prominent part of the lived experiences of US residents. Media consumption has increased substantially over the past 10 years and is an especially important aspect of the lives of young people. This includes increases in cell phone use, online and video game activity, watching television and listening to music (Prot et al., 2015). When one considers the all-encompassing nature of mass media and the reification of the extant power structures it promotes, the propaganda function of mass media becomes clear, as Herman and Chomsky (1988) argued in Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media. For this reason, critical media literacy would seem to be an imperative for participatory democracy and a more just society. As Kellner and Share (2007) assert, critical media literacy offers the potential to facilitate critical analysis of the various forms of mass communication in terms of the relationships among media, audiences and power. This elevates the importance of the type of initiative undertaken by the author of this manuscript. However, it is important to note in the context of this commentary that, while the raced and gendered stereotypes that the author seeks to critique and disrupt do help define present day life, they also precede these more recent insights into the socializing functions that media can play. Negative characterizations of Native Americans, Africans and other people of color (and positive images of Whites and men) were and are integral to the founding and development of the US. By intent, such images were ubiquitous in all areas of societal functioning—the arts, religion, education and the sciences—so that they would become internalized and enacted at the individual, interpersonal and institutional levels. Contesting the “just world” or “system justification” beliefs (Jost et al., 2004) promulgated in the media is the first step in Dr. Anyiwo’s intervention. In light of the propaganda function and the omnipresence of false narratives in the media, the default for most people is to believe what we’re told. Even if we question the veracity of the narrative, fighting against it requires considerable cognitive and emotional effort, especially if the narrative seems to be widely accepted. Furthermore, if the dominant narrative is the main or only one we’ve heard, an alternative may not occur to us. We tend not to challenge the system because the norm is to accept the status quo, to believe that the way things are is the way they have to be. According to system justification theory, it may be even more challenging for those oppressed by the system to challenge it. For example, in a study of adolescents’ attributions for inequality, youth from better