NAMAC Blogger Amy Puffenberger analyzes how we promote media literacy education for women and girls.

As the debate over public media continues, we must continue to ask ourselves what the term “public media” really means. What defines a “public”? What does the term “media” actually include? When I think about public media, the first image that comes to mind is the public broadcasting system as it currently exists. More importantly, I think of the continued and very real debate going on across the country and in Congress about whether or not to continue federal funding for public broadcasting. There has been much talk about whether or not the model for public broadcasting as it currently exists today is outdated. Opponents of the continued funding of public broadcasting often argue that public broadcasting is now obsolete given the current structure of commercial television broadcasting, ‘500 different channels all devoted to a person’s individual interests, etc.’ – that sort of thing, so why do we need public broadcasting when there are so many options?! More on that later.

I love to read individual, user-created reviews of feature films. Now, I must admit that I don’t read these reviews before seeing a film in an effort to determine whether or not I should attend a screening. I, on the other hand, tend to read user reviews of films I have already seen. I find it interesting to see how other random people have reacted to the film I have just watched, not necessarily as a form of vindication but rather as a study in psychology, if you will.

Hip-hop, goth, grunge, punk and hippie – these are a few among the myriad of youth subcultures that have emerged, or re-emerged, at a fast pace in recent years. This splintered face of "alternative youth culture" is partly the result of the digital age. Web 2.0, mobile devices, and existing media channels are inundating young people with information from the time they wake up until they go to sleep, even when they dream. Today's youth have countless opportunities to experiment through real and online, virtual personas and, as a result, has created cultural composite of mixed origins. This hybridization has proven to be challenge as far as marketing to and engaging young people.  An interesting problem has emerged as it relates to adult perceptions about youth and media: there is the rebellious adolescent who throws caution to the wind vs. the passive, docile youth in the classroom who are often perceive as fearful of taking risks related to their own creative endeavors.