Cyberactivism and Critical Media Literacy

                 Both of these readings were particularly interesting, as they reflect on the power that comes with people using the internet as a medium to make a point or how the media in general can affect young students.  The part that stuck out the most for me in Chapter 6 on cyberactivism was the section on cyberpunks.  The term immediately points to a negative image of young people abusing the internet for literacy practices that get themselves into activities that they should not be getting in to.  The chapter, however, states that this term is used more for shedding light on the seriousness of the situation rather than just deeming it a negative term.  These cyberpunks are using this form of literacy to create revolutions of ideas that can immediately impact thousands of people in our virtual world.  These cyberpunks have found a reality that furthers knowledge in a way that gets out their ideas much faster and efficiently than someone who does not sit behind the screen. This in itself makes whoever sits at the computer and very powerful person for the time being.
                  The chapter on critical media literacy seems to be a topic that is a more widely discussed topic than cyberactivism.  It talks about the affect of mass media on the youth more predominately but also has set the tone for the way society functions and how it circles around media production.  Children are subjected to the bad parts of the media such as fast food and cigarette commercials.
 However, these commercials and images that we see on the TV screen are shaping the way we think today.  Mass hysteria can be involved through exposure to the media and just like cyberactivism, this can produce so much power.  The widespread knowledge projected through the media is more likely to stick in the minds of the young people and adults in society.  The more widespread something is, the quicker people are to believe it.  Young people should be informed on the validity of certain information in the media and go to other sources before they swear by it as the truth.  Everything is subject to change and the sooner children learn this, the better they will shape our future in terms of the media.