MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY

Different kinds of media use different elements to communicate. Different media forms are also used to communicate for different reasons. Here are three important reasons we use media to communicate:

• • to entertain, or amuse

• • to inform, or tell us about something

• • to persuade, or make us think or act in a certain way

Study different kinds of media to learn about their purposes.

• 1 Choose Media Choose three kinds of media to analyze. They do not have to focus on the same topic. Here are some examples of media you can choose:

  • • newspaper article

  • • political cartoon

  • • print advertisement

  • • TV program

  • • TV commercial

  • • personal Web page

• 2 Analyze Media With a partner, use the table below to help figure out the purpose of each media example. Remember that each type of media often has more than one purpose.

  Media Purposes Table

  To Entertain	To Inform	To Persuade
  Did I find it amusing?	Did I learn something from it?	Did it make me think a certain way?
  Did it keep me interested?	Did I understand something better because of it?	Did it convince me to try something?

• 3 Share Media Show your media choices to the class and tell the purpose of each. Point out details of each media choice that illustrate the purpose. Use the details in your chart as you share your information.

  

  Political cartoons are powerful because they can both persuade and entertain.