This blog activity was assigned by Professor and Dr. Dilip Barad (Department of English, MKBU). The activity focuses on understanding the relationship between media, power, education, and cultural practices through the perspective of Cultural Studies. It encourages students to critically examine the influence of media on contemporary society and reflect on the qualities of a “truly educated person” in today’s media-saturated world.
For Blog Click Here: Cultural Studies: Media, Power and Truly Educated Person
Beyond Information: Media, Power, and the Making of a Truly Educated Person
Part:1
Read the blog post by Dilip Barad, and consider the following themes:
The role of media in shaping culture and identity.
The blog argues media is now the primary tool power uses to shape perception: "as 'Media' is the tool to control the perceptions and the subject, the Power makes extensive use of Media. All forms of media." Through Chomsky's Five Filters (Ownership, Advertising, Media Elite/Sourcing, Flak, Common Enemy), media decides what stories circulate and how, shaping cultural attitudes and identities before individuals consciously form opinions.
How power structures are reinforced through media representation.
Political Power & our sense of judgement:
Power is reinforced not through censorship but by "manufacturing consent" producing what the blog calls "the illusion of Democracy," where audiences believe their views are independently formed while the boundaries of debate are already set. The Chomsky–Foucault debate adds that power doesn't just suppress it defines what is "normal," reinforcing itself by deciding which identities and views appear standard versus marginal. Van Bavel's research shows this is strengthened by partisanship, since group identity makes people accept media framing without questioning it.
The characteristics of a "truly educated person" in the context of Cultural Studies.
Per Chomsky's video referenced in the blog: independent inquiry ("without external controls"), valuing discovery over coverage ("it's not important what we cover... it's important what you discover"), and the ability to "formulate serious questions" and "question standard doctrine." The blog ties this to Cultural Studies specifically, which trains students to question one discipline using another, unlearn fixed assumptions, and engage with controversy rather than avoid it.
Part-2
After reading the blog post, answer the following questions to deepen your reflection
1. Media and Power:
The blog's core claim is that in our historical moment, media isn't just one tool power uses it's become the primary instrument through which power operates. As the blog puts it, since our era is one "as 'Media' is the tool to control the perceptions and the subject, the Power makes extensive use of Media. All forms of media. Print, radio, TV, electronic, digital, social." Power no longer needs to rule primarily through coercion; it can secure consent by shaping what people perceive as true, normal, or thinkable.
First of all, let us understand 'POWER':
The blog cashes this out concretely through Chomsky's Propaganda Model (the Five Filters), which it treats as the mechanical explanation for how this control happens rather than leaving it abstract:
This videos explains this - 'Manufacturing Consent'.
- Media Ownership — media outlets are commercial entities owned by wealthy interests, so the range of "acceptable" opinion is pre-filtered by who owns the megaphone.
- Advertising — dependence on ad revenue means outlets shape content to avoid alienating advertisers, not just audiences.
- Media Elite (sourcing) — reliance on government/corporate sources for "credible" news gives those sources disproportionate power to frame stories.
- Flak — organized pushback (lawsuits, complaints, lobbying) punishes media that strays from acceptable narratives, creating a chilling effect.
- The Common Enemy — a unifying "threat" (communism, terrorism, etc.) manufactures consensus and discourages dissent as unpatriotic.
The blog frames the upshot sharply: this system doesn't ban dissent, it manufactures consent creating "the illusion of Democracy" where people believe they're forming independent opinions while the boundaries of debate have already been set for them. That's the key move: power in media-saturated societies works by shaping perception itself, not by overt censorship.
The blog also brings in Van Bavel's partisanship research as the psychological complement to Chomsky's structural analysis media doesn't just filter information, it activates group identity, and once identity is engaged, people process information less rationally and more tribally. So the two pieces work together: media structures (Chomsky) supply the filtered content, and partisan psychology (Van Bavel) makes audiences receptive to absorbing it uncritically, even defending it against contrary evidence.
My own observations extending this
A few contemporary dynamics the blog (written in 2017, before the current algorithmic-feed era matured) doesn't fully anticipate but that fit its framework well:
- Algorithmic curation as a "sixth filter." Chomsky's model assumes editorial gatekeepers; today, recommendation algorithms (YouTube, X, TikTok, Facebook) perform a similar filtering function but optimized for engagement rather than ideology per se though the effect (narrowing exposure, reinforcing existing beliefs) is structurally similar to the "common enemy" and "flak" filters, just automated and personalized per-user.
- Fragmentation of the "media elite." Chomsky's model assumed a fairly centralized set of gatekeeper institutions. Social media has fragmented that but arguably concentrated power differently, in platform owners (a handful of tech billionaires) who now control the infrastructure of discourse rather than its content directly.
- Van Bavel's partisanship point maps well onto "epistemic bubbles" people don't just consume different opinions now, they often consume entirely different factual universes, which makes the "manufacturing consent" model even more powerful since there's less shared ground to contest it from.
A few concrete, current examples that illustrate the blog's framework in action:
1. AI chatbots as the newest "filter." Millions now ask an AI assistant to summarize the news or explain a controversy instead of reading multiple sources themselves. Whoever trains, fine-tunes, and sets the guardrails on that model exercises a kind of editorial power that's far less visible than a newspaper editor's you don't see the selection happening. This is arguably a more concentrated version of Chomsky's "media elite" filter: instead of a handful of networks, a handful of AI labs now mediate a growing share of how people get informed.
2. Elon Musk and X (formerly Twitter). A single owner acquiring a major platform and visibly reshaping its moderation policies, algorithmic boosting, and even his own account's reach is almost a textbook real-time demonstration of the "Media Ownership" filter — proof that ownership isn't an abstract structural point but something with immediate, observable effects on what gets amplified.
3. COVID-19 discourse (2020–2022). This is probably the clearest recent case of "manufacturing consent" and its breakdown simultaneously. Early on, platforms and legacy media converged around WHO/CDC guidance and suppressed dissenting views (even ones later partially vindicated, like the lab-leak hypothesis). This showed the "common enemy" and "flak" filters working in real time but it also showed their limits: the suppression itself became a driver of distrust, fueling exactly the partisan epistemic fracture Van Bavel describes, where identity ("who do you trust institutions or skeptics?") started overriding evidence-processing for large swaths of the public in both directions.
4. Israel-Gaza war coverage (2023–present). A vivid case of competing "common enemy" narratives running in parallel different media ecosystems (Western legacy press, Al Jazeera, social media eyewitness footage) producing almost non-overlapping realities of the same events, with each audience's partisanship (Van Bavel's mechanism) making them resistant to the other side's framing regardless of documentary evidence.
5. Substack/independent newsletters and podcast creators. Interestingly, this is a case that complicates the blog's framework rather than confirming it creators like this have partially escaped the "ownership" and "advertiser" filters (they're reader-funded, not ad-funded), which is why some of the most-followed political commentary in the US now happens outside traditional gatekept media entirely. It's worth asking whether this represents genuine democratization of the "Media Elite" filter, or just a new, less visible set of gatekeepers (platform algorithms, payment processors, hosting companies) taking their place.
Introduction
The blog draws its concept of the "truly educated person" directly from a video by Noam Chomsky, using it to argue that Cultural Studies itself cultivates this kind of education. This concept both challenges traditional educational norms and offers a useful lens for thinking about media literacy today.
What the Blog Says
According to the blog, Chomsky identifies the following as central to being truly educated:
- Independent inquiry — "The core principle and requirement of a fulfilled human being is the ability to inquire and create constructively, independently, without external controls."
- Intellectual freedom — "A true education opens a door to human intellectual freedom and creative autonomy."
- Discovery over coverage — "It's not important what we cover in the class; it's important what you discover."
- Questioning doctrine — To be truly educated means to be resourceful, to "formulate serious questions" and "question standard doctrine, if that's appropriate," and ultimately to "find your own way."
The blog connects this directly to Cultural Studies, arguing that CS builds this kind of educated person because it trains students to question one discipline using the findings of another, to unlearn what specific disciplines have taught, and to engage with controversy rather than avoid it.
How This Challenges Traditional Education👇👇
Traditional Education Chomsky's "Truly Educated Person" Focused on covering a fixed syllabus Focused on what the student discovers Confined to a single discipline Encourages questioning across disciplines Transmits "standard doctrine" as fact Trains students to interrogate doctrine Success measured by external validation (grades, exams) Success measured by intellectual autonomy, "without external controls"
| Traditional Education | Chomsky's "Truly Educated Person" |
|---|---|
| Focused on covering a fixed syllabus | Focused on what the student discovers |
| Confined to a single discipline | Encourages questioning across disciplines |
| Transmits "standard doctrine" as fact | Trains students to interrogate doctrine |
| Success measured by external validation (grades, exams) | Success measured by intellectual autonomy, "without external controls" |
Traditional education is largely about content delivery and credentialing. Chomsky's concept, as the blog presents it, redefines education as a capacity the capacity to ask serious questions and think independently rather than a body of knowledge to be absorbed.
Qualities of a Truly Educated Person Today, in Relation to Media Literacy
Drawing only from the blog's references Chomsky's Five Filters, the Chomsky–Foucault debate, and Van Bavel's work on partisanship a media-literate "truly educated person" today would need to:
Conclusion
The blog's concept of the truly educated person challenges the traditional model of education as content transmission, replacing it with a model built on independent inquiry, cross-disciplinary questioning, and comfort with controversy. Extended to media literacy, this means an educated person today must be able to see through the structural filters that shape media (Chomsky), resist the pull of partisanship on their judgment (Van Bavel), and engage critically and independently with contested narratives rather than simply accepting what any single source presents as truth
How Media Shapes Cultural Identity, Based on the Blog's Ideas
1. The "Common Enemy" Filter
One of Chomsky's Five Filters mentioned in the blog is the "Common Enemy" media often creates a shared "threat" to unite audiences and discourage questioning. This same mechanism can shape how certain communities get labelled as "the problem" or "the outsider" in public discourse, often before members of that group get a chance to represent themselves on their own terms.
2. Media Ownership Decides Whose Stories Get Told
The blog's first filter is "Media Ownership." Since a small number of owners control most mainstream media, they largely decide which stories get attention. As a result, marginalized communities are frequently not the ones telling their own stories instead, outsiders tell stories about them, often in a simplified or one-sided way.
3. Group Identity Affects How Audiences Judge Others
The blog includes Van Bavel's research on partisanship, which shows that a person's group identity can distort how they process information. Applied here, audiences who strongly identify with a dominant group may more readily accept stereotypical or reductive media portrayals of other groups, even when such portrayals lack solid evidence.
4. Power Defines What Is "Normal"
The blog references the Chomsky–Foucault debate on whether human nature is fixed or shaped by institutions. Foucault's broader position only briefly gestured at in the blog is that power does not simply suppress people; it actively defines what counts as "normal," pushing everything outside that definition to the margins. This connects directly to how marginalized identities are frequently framed as "different" from an assumed cultural norm in media narratives.
Media as a Tool for Resistance
Although the blog does not state this directly, its own structure supports the idea. The blog's entire purpose is to teach readers to question media and power rather than accept them passively. Chomsky himself uses media books, lectures, interviews, and the very video the blog links to to challenge the propaganda system he critiques. This demonstrates that media is not only an instrument of control; it can equally serve as a tool of resistance when used by individuals or communities to challenge dominant narratives and represent themselves on their own terms, rather than being represented by others.
Conclusion
While the blog's argument centers on power and mass media rather than cultural identity specifically, its framework the Five Filters, the role of partisanship, and the Foucault–Chomsky exchange on power and human nature extends meaningfully to questions of representation. Media can reinforce marginalization by deciding whose stories are told and how, but it can equally be repurposed as a means of resistance, allowing marginalized groups to contest dominant narratives and assert their own cultural identities.
My Media Consumption Today
In today's world, media doesn't reach me through a single channel it surrounds me throughout the day across multiple platforms simultaneously. As a student, this is even more true, because media isn't separate from my academic life it's deeply mixed into it. My daily consumption spans:
- Instagram — reels, stories, and an algorithm-curated feed I check between study sessions
- YouTube — both entertainment content and educational videos/lectures for my coursework
- WhatsApp — class group chats, assignment reminders, family conversations, and forwards from friends
- OTT platforms (Netflix, Prime) — shows I watch to unwind after classes or exams
- News apps — push notifications, mostly checked during breaks between studying
Unlike earlier generations who consumed media at fixed times a morning newspaper, an evening news bulletin my consumption is scattered across the entire day: between lectures, while commuting, during study breaks, and late at night before sleeping. A lot of it happens passively, especially when I open Instagram "for five minutes" between topics and end up losing much more study time than intended. This constant, multi-platform exposure means I'm absorbing far more media content than I consciously register, and much of it without deliberately choosing to seek it out.
How Chomsky's Filters Show Up Across My Platforms
- On Instagram and YouTube — the algorithm, not an editor, decides what I see, based on what keeps me engaged rather than what is accurate, balanced, or useful for my growth as a student
- On WhatsApp — content reaches me pre-filtered through my social circle, gaining implicit trust simply because a friend or family member forwarded it. In class group chats specifically, academic information often gets blurred with unrelated forwards, memes, and unverified "exam leak" or "important announcement" messages that spread panic before anyone checks if they're true
- On OTT platforms — the stories, characters, and cultural narratives promoted subtly shape my assumptions about careers, success, and relationships, often without my conscious awareness
- Overall effect — because these filters are spread across many apps I use constantly for both study and leisure, instead of being concentrated in one obvious source like a single newspaper or channel, they're much harder to notice and genuinely difficult to separate "useful academic media" from "algorithm-driven distraction"
Partisanship and the "Surround-Sound" Effect
Connecting to Van Bavel's research referenced in the blog:
- Each platform's algorithm reinforces what I already believe, so when the same narrative appears across Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp in the same day, it starts to feel "obviously true" even if it's really just one unverified claim circulating through different channels, not independent confirmation
- As a student, I've noticed this especially around exam-related rumors or campus issues when the same claim (a syllabus change, a placement rumor, an opinion about a professor or policy) spreads across my Instagram, class WhatsApp groups, and YouTube comment sections in the same day, it starts to feel confirmed, even when it traces back to a single unverified source
- I've also noticed social comparison playing a role seeing peers post about internships, grades, or achievements shapes how I judge my own progress, sometimes more than honest reflection on my own goals does
- Looking back, I can recall moments where I accepted a claim about a public figure or current event simply because it kept appearing repeatedly across multiple platforms I use, without pausing to check whether these were genuinely independent sources
How This Shapes My Worldview and Daily Choices
- What I consider "important" — both in news and in my studies — is sometimes shaped by what's trending across my feeds and group chats rather than by my own independent judgment or syllabus review
- Time management — a significant chunk of my "break time" gets consumed by algorithm-driven scrolling that I didn't consciously plan for
- Self-perception — comparing my academic or personal progress to curated posts from classmates and influencers, which rarely show the full picture, affects my confidence and sense of progress
- Trust and distrust — who I instinctively trust or doubt, especially public figures or institutions, is often shaped by repeated exposure rather than independent verification
- Career and opportunity opinions — forming impressions about which fields, companies, or opportunities are "worth it" based on narratives that repeat across student circles, rather than independent research
- Everyday choices — even smaller decisions, like which products or trends I take seriously, are shaped more by ambient, repeated exposure across platforms than by any single deliberate source
Applying a Critical Approach
In line with the blog's idea of the "truly educated person," a critical approach today especially as a student navigating a fragmented media environment would mean:
- Verifying before panicking or forwarding — particularly with academic rumors in class groups, checking the official source before believing or sharing exam- or assignment-related claims
- Separating study time from scroll time — being conscious of when "five minutes on Instagram" during a study break is actually algorithm-driven distraction disguised as rest
- Checking repetition vs. confirmation — asking whether something seen across multiple platforms is genuinely independently confirmed, or just the same story recirculating through connected networks
- Questioning comparison — recognizing when a peer's curated post is shaping my self-worth or academic anxiety rather than genuinely informing me
- Checking sources before forwarding — especially on WhatsApp, where trust is often borrowed from the sender rather than earned by the content itself
- Using media for discovery, not just distraction — actively seeking out educational content and diverse perspectives, rather than letting entertainment platforms passively fill all my free time
- Noticing my own partisanship — pausing to ask whether I'm accepting a claim because it's well-evidenced, or simply because it matches what I already believe or what my social circle believes
- Diversifying what I follow — consciously exposing myself to varied sources and viewpoints instead of letting every platform's algorithm quietly agree with the others and narrow my perspective
Conclusion
The blog's central idea that a truly educated person is defined not by how much media they consume, or even by which platforms they use, but by their ability to question what reaches them feels especially relevant to me as a student living in a media environment that is constant, fragmented, and deeply woven into both my academic and personal life. Between academic pressure, constant connectivity through class groups, and algorithm-driven platforms competing for my attention, developing the habit of pausing to verify, question, and consciously choose what I engage with isn't just an abstract media-literacy skill it directly affects how I manage my time, protect my mental well-being, and grow as both a student and, in the blog's words, a "truly educated person."
Part-3
How media and power intersect in shaping modern culture.
Introduction
Have you ever wondered why we all seem to like the same things, worry about the same trends, or buy the exact same products? It is not a coincidence. Based on insights from Professor Dilip Barad’s blog, thinker Noam Chomsky, and modern cultural studies, media is no longer just a fun way to pass the time. Today, it is the most powerful tool that governments, mega-corporations, and elite groups use to quietly shape our thoughts, cultural habits, and daily choices without needing to force us.
1. Controlling What We See: Chomsky’s "Hidden Filters"
Think about what you watch on TV news or scroll past on social media every day. Do we actually get to see the real, unfiltered truth? Not quite. Noam Chomsky explains that everything we consume passes through five invisible "filters" before it ever reaches our screens:
Big Corporate Owners: The biggest news channels and newspapers are owned by mega-corporations or wealthy business tycoons. Naturally, they will never broadcast investigative stories that expose the bad practices of their own parent companies.
The Advertising Trap: Channels depend entirely on ad money to survive. Because brands pay the bills, news outlets will never air deep, aggressive criticisms of the corporations funding them.
Official Sources First: News networks rely almost exclusively on official government press releases or police statements, giving those in absolute power total control over how a story is framed.
Creating a "Common Enemy": Whenever real internal issues like inflation, unemployment, or poor infrastructure get too loud, media channels love to create high-decibel debates around an external threat or a manufactured crisis to distract us and unite people through fear and anger.
Example: Look at fairness cream commercials (like Glow & Lovely). They do more than sell skin cream; they quietly push the deep social belief that having lighter skin makes you more successful, attractive, and valuable. Meanwhile, you will rarely see prime-time news holding giant multinational corporations accountable for economic struggles.
2. Setting the Rules of "Normal": Bollywood and Culture
Power does not just control the news; it decides what is considered "normal" in society. Through films, fashion, music videos, and TV shows, media sets invisible rules for how we are supposed to look, behave, and live.
Example: For decades, mainstream Bollywood movies sold a very narrow definition of beauty, success, and lifestyle. Upper-caste, urban, glamorous characters were the ultimate "heroes," while rural citizens, working-class individuals, or minority groups were often pushed into minor or comedic roles. Even today, when a mainstream movie features a unique or non-traditional protagonist, it is marketed as a massive, bold risk—proving just how strictly media has defined our standard idea of "normal."
Career Standards: Media constantly glorifies specific corporate, high-tech, or glamorous career paths as the ultimate definition of "success." This cultural messaging makes traditional arts, crafts, agriculture, or alternative lifestyles feel like second-choice options, making people feel bad if they do not fit the corporate mold.
3. The WhatsApp Trap: Why We Fall for Fake News
Why do we instantly believe certain rumors or political posts? Psychology has the answer! Research by scientist Jay Van Bavel shows that when media triggers our group identity (like our political party, community, or friend group), our brain stops thinking logically and starts following the tribe.
Example: WhatsApp forwards. During elections or festive seasons, unverified rumors, edited videos, and sensational claims spread like wildfire across family and college chat groups. Because we get the same message from people we trust, we believe it instantly without checking facts. It creates a "surround-sound effect" that makes fake news feel 100% true.
Campus Rumors: In college or student spaces, an unverified rumor about exam cancellations or fee hikes pops up in a student group, and panic spreads instantly before anyone checks if the university issued an official notice.
4. The Daily Student Struggle: Social Media and Algorithms
This isn't just about big politics; it happens on our phones every single day.
Example: As students, apps like Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp consume hours of our time.
Algorithmic Hooks: Social media feeds use smart algorithms designed to keep us scrolling, often blurring the line between studying, wasting time, and looking at paid influencer ads.
Peer Pressure: Seeing curated, perfect lives on Instagram (elite internships, perfect scores, endless vacations) makes us question our own self-worth and breeds unnecessary academic anxiety.
5. Fighting Back: Media Can Be a Weapon for Us, Too!
The good news is that media is a two-way street. While powerful institutions use it to control narratives, ordinary people can use those exact same digital tools to fight back.
Example:
Independent YouTube Creators: Because mainstream TV news has lost public trust, millions of Indians now follow independent digital journalists and YouTube channels (The DeshBhakt, News Laundry, etc.) that cover real ground-level issues like farmer struggles and local governance.
Grassroots Movements: Global movements like #MeToo and local digital campaigns have proven that social media can bypass gatekeepers, call out abusers, and give a powerful voice to the voiceless.
6. How to Become a "Truly Educated" Student
To avoid falling into these traps, we need to build the habits of what Chomsky calls a "truly educated person." Instead of blindly consuming everything thrown at our screens, we must learn to think for ourselves.
Action Plan:
Pause before forwarding that viral WhatsApp message.
Cross-check news using independent Indian fact-checking sites like Alt News or Boom Live.
Question why a particular sensational story is suddenly blowing up everywhere at the exact same time.
How English Cultural Studies Students Read Media Culture
As students of English and Cultural Studies, we do not read media texts (like films, news articles, advertisements, or social media reels) simply for entertainment. Instead, we treat media as a cultural artifact a text packed with hidden power dynamics, ideologies, and historical meanings. Drawing from our coursework on theorists like Noam Chomsky, Michel Foucault, and cultural critics, here is how an English Cultural Studies student approaches and decodes media culture:
Treating Media as a "Text" to Be Interrogated: Just like we analyze a novel or a poem for underlying metaphors, we analyze media for underlying discourses. We look beneath the surface plot of a movie or a news broadcast to ask: Whose interests does this story serve? Whose voices are being left out?
Uncovering the Hidden Power Structures (Chomsky's Filters): We don't take media at face value. We look at the political economy behind itwho owns the media house, who funds the advertisements, and why certain stories are pushed while others are silenced.
Examining How Society Defines "Normal" (The Foucaultian Lens): Cultural studies teaches us to look at how media creates societal norms. When we watch a film or read an ad, we ask how it defines gender, class, caste, or success, and how it labels anything outside that definition as "abnormal" or "other."
Unlearning Fixed Assumptions and Interrogating Doctrine: True cultural studies training means unlearning what standard institutions or single disciplines have taught us. We cross-examine literature, sociology, and media studies to see how cultural myths are manufactured and sustained.
Embracing Controversy and Multiple Readings: Instead of searching for one "correct" meaning, an English cultural student is comfortable with controversy. We look at how different audiences (influenced by their social background, politics, or group identity, as Van Bavel explains) can read the exact same media text in completely different ways.
In short, reading media as a cultural student means moving away from passive consumption and becoming an active cultural critic who can see through the illusions of mass media and question standard doctrines.
Conclusion
Media and power work hand in hand to shape our culture, our choices, and our beliefs. Whether through fairness cream ads, Bollywood blockbusters, WhatsApp forwards, or Instagram reels, media sets the invisible boundaries of what we think is acceptable. But once you learn to look behind the curtain, spot the hidden filters, and think critically, you stop being a passive consumer and become a truly independent, conscious citizen!
The importance of critical media literacy as a component of education.
Introduction
In today’s hyper-connected, media-saturated world, education can no longer limit itself to traditional textbooks, fixed syllabi, and classroom memorization. Drawing from the perspectives of Cultural Studies, Noam Chomsky's critical media theories, and modern educational frameworks, critical media literacy has become an essential pillar of a truly educated person. Education must evolve to teach students not just what to think or memorize, but how to question the media environment that constantly surrounds them.
1. Moving Beyond Traditional Education: Discovery Over Coverage
Traditional education has long treated students as passive vessels, focusing heavily on covering a fixed syllabus and transmitting standard institutional doctrines. In contrast, Chomsky’s vision of a truly educated person emphasizes independent inquiry, intellectual autonomy, and valuing discovery over mere coverage.
The Educational Shift: Critical media literacy operationalizes this shift. Instead of accepting media messages, news headlines, or digital content at face value, students learn to treat media texts as objects of inquiry. It trains them to ask foundational questions: Who owns this platform? Who funds this narrative? What interests are being served here?
Example: In a traditional classroom, students might memorize a history timeline or standard textbook summaries about a major global conflict. With critical media literacy, an educator instead asks students to compare how different global news networks (such as Western mainstream media versus independent digital channels) report on the exact same conflict. Students discover how varying framing, wording, and visual choices shape public perception, turning passive memorization into active, independent discovery.
2. Decoding Chomsky’s "Five Filters" in the Classroom
Mass media operates through structural filters such as corporate ownership, advertising pressures, elite sourcing, flak, and manufactured common enemies that pre-shape public perception and manufacture consent.
Why Students Need It: Without critical media literacy, students are vulnerable to the illusion that the information on their screens is entirely neutral and objective. Teaching media literacy in education equips students with the analytical tools of the Propaganda Model, helping them recognize how commercial algorithms and corporate structures quietly pre-filter reality before they even form an opinion.
Example: When students analyze fairness cream advertisements (like Glow & Lovely) in a media literacy class, they learn to look beyond the catchy song or attractive actor. They decode how the "advertising filter" operates, recognizing that the commercial is actively promoting colorism and reinforcing social hierarchies to protect the financial interests of massive corporate conglomerates, rather than offering a neutral product.
3. Combating Partisanship and the "Surround-Sound Effect"
Modern digital platforms (Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp) are driven by engagement algorithms and reinforced by group identity and political partisanship. As research by psychologists like Jay Van Bavel shows, human beings naturally process information tribally when their group identity is triggered, making them accept unverified claims or fake news without evidence.
The Role of Critical Literacy: Education in media literacy acts as a cognitive defense mechanism. It teaches students to pause, step back, and evaluate whether they are accepting a narrative because it is well-evidenced or simply because it matches what their social or political circle wants to believe. It stops the spread of unverified rumors and campus panic.
Example: During high-stakes political election seasons or sensitive campus events, unverified rumors and edited video clips routinely spread across student WhatsApp groups. A student trained in critical media literacy recognizes the "surround-sound effect"—the psychological trap of believing a rumor just because multiple friends forwarded it. Instead of panicking or forwarding it further, they pause to cross-check the claim against independent fact-checking platforms or official university circulars.
4. Cultivating Interdisciplinary Questioning and Embracing Controversy
Cultural Studies teaches students to cross-examine one discipline with the findings of another, to unlearn fixed assumptions, and—crucially to teach controversies rather than avoid them.
The Educational Value: A curriculum infused with critical media literacy encourages students to sit with unresolved, contested readings of contemporary events. Whether analyzing how minority groups are stereotyped in cinema, how corporate ads push consumerist ideals, or how digital spaces shape self-worth, students learn to engage with controversy constructively and independently.
Example: When discussing how mainstream Bollywood and Hollywood films historically marginalized LGBTQ+ characters or people of color, a media-literate classroom does not sweep the controversy under the rug. Students analyze cinematic history alongside sociological data and identity politics, debating how media representations shape cultural norms and learning how to articulate well-reasoned, independent arguments on contentious social issues.
Conclusion
Critical media literacy is not an optional extracurricular skill; it is the core requirement of modern education. By moving away from rote learning toward independent inquiry, rigorous media critique, and real-world application, education finally fulfills its ultimate purpose: opening the door to intellectual freedom, creative autonomy, and the ability to question standard doctrine.
Your perspective on what it means to be a "truly educated pe world.rson" in today’s media-saturated
For me, being a “truly educated person” in today’s media-saturated world is not about knowing the maximum number of facts; it is about knowing how to question, verify, interpret, and rethink the information that surrounds us. We live in a time when information reaches us constantly through news, social media, films, advertisements, YouTube, reels, and digital platforms. In such a situation, education cannot remain limited to classrooms, examinations, degrees, or certificates. It must develop the ability to think independently and understand the forces that shape our perceptions. Professor Dilip Barad’s discussion of Cultural Studies, particularly its connection between media, power, questioning, and intellectual freedom, has strengthened my understanding of what true education means today.
Beyond Degrees and Marks
In my view, a person cannot be called truly educated simply because they possess a degree or have achieved high marks. Academic qualifications are important, but education should also develop awareness, reasoning, curiosity, and social understanding. I have observed that sometimes people accept information simply because it comes from a popular source or because many people around them believe it. This made me realize that being educated and being informed are not necessarily the same thing. A person may have access to enormous amounts of information but still lack the ability to evaluate it critically. True education, therefore, should teach us not only what to know but also how to think about what we know.
Questioning as Education
The quality I value most in a truly educated person is the ability to question. Barad’s discussion of Chomsky emphasizes inquiry, independent thinking, the formulation of serious questions, and the willingness to question standard doctrines when appropriate. I strongly connect with this idea. In everyday life, we often accept statements because they are presented by an authority, repeated many times, or supported by popular opinion. However, I believe education begins when we can pause and ask: Why should I believe this? What is the evidence? Who is presenting this information? What perspective does it represent?
For me, questioning does not mean rejecting everything. It means refusing to accept everything blindly. It creates the possibility of deeper understanding.
Fact-Checking Before Believing
In today’s digital world, I believe fact-checking is one of the most important qualities of an educated person. A viral post, edited video, screenshot, quotation, or attractive headline can easily create a strong impression even when the complete context is missing. I have noticed that people sometimes forward information simply because it has already been shared by many others. This has made me more conscious of the difference between popularity and truth.
Therefore, before accepting or sharing information, I believe we should check its original source, date, context, author, evidence, and credibility. When an issue is important or controversial, we should compare information from reliable sources rather than depending on one post or one person's interpretation. For me, fact-checking is not merely a digital skill; it is a form of intellectual honesty and responsibility.
Understanding Media and Power
Another important aspect of being educated is understanding the relationship between media and power. Barad emphasizes that Cultural Studies cannot be separated from the study of power and that media can be used to influence perceptions. This idea is highly relevant to our contemporary lives because media is not simply a source of entertainment or information. It can influence what we notice, what we discuss, what we consider important, and even how we understand particular communities.
This does not mean that every media message is false or deliberately manipulated. Rather, it means that an educated person should understand that media messages are constructed through particular choices—what is included, what is excluded, what is emphasized, and how an event is framed. Therefore, I believe that consuming media critically is essential to understanding contemporary culture.
Media Literacy and the Five Filters
Barad’s reference to Chomsky and Herman’s five filters media ownership, advertising, media elite, flak, and the common enemy also made me think about the structures behind media production. These ideas encourage us to look beyond the surface of a media message and consider the institutional and economic forces that may influence what becomes visible.
For me, this is what media literacy means: not automatically assuming that every media message is neutral, but asking how it has been produced and circulated. A truly educated person should be able to distinguish between fact, opinion, persuasion, commercial interest, and ideological representation.
Recognizing Bias and Algorithms
I have also noticed how easily our own beliefs can influence the information we accept. When we already agree with a particular viewpoint, we may be more likely to accept information that confirms it and reject information that challenges it. Barad’s discussion of partisanship helped me think about this problem more critically.
The contemporary digital environment makes this even more complex because algorithms often recommend content according to our previous searches, likes, viewing habits, and interactions. From my own observation, when I repeatedly engage with a particular type of content, similar content starts appearing more frequently in my feed. This can create a limited environment where we repeatedly encounter ideas similar to our own. Therefore, I believe a truly educated person should deliberately seek different perspectives and credible sources rather than allowing an algorithm to become the boundary of their knowledge.
Representation and Marginalized Voices
For me, education also means learning to question representation. Media influences how we understand gender, caste, class, culture, language, and marginalized communities. When a group is repeatedly represented through a stereotype, audiences may begin to treat that representation as reality. Therefore, I believe we should ask: Whose story is being told? Who is telling it? Whose interests are represented? Whose voice is missing?
At the same time, media can also become a tool of resistance. Social media, independent journalism, documentaries, blogs, and digital platforms can allow marginalized communities to tell their own stories and challenge dominant narratives. Thus, media can both reproduce existing power and create opportunities to challenge that power. Recognizing both possibilities is an important part of being critically educated.
Learning to Unlearn
One idea from Barad’s discussion that I find particularly meaningful is unlearning. Cultural Studies encourages students to question one discipline through the findings of another and to engage with controversies rather than accepting one fixed interpretation. For me, unlearning does not mean forgetting everything we have learned. It means being willing to reconsider our assumptions when new evidence or perspectives challenge them.
I think this is especially important today because we often form opinions quickly. A truly educated person should have enough intellectual humility to say, “I may need to reconsider my understanding.” The willingness to change one's view when evidence demands it is not weakness; for me, it is a sign of genuine learning.
As an English Literature Student
As an English Literature student, I see a particularly strong connection between literary study and being a truly educated person. Literature has taught me to look beyond the surface of a text and examine voice, perspective, silence, representation, context, ideology, and power. When we study a poem, novel, play, or film, we do not simply ask what happens. We ask who is speaking, whose perspective dominates, what is being represented, and what remains unsaid.
I now believe that the same method can be applied to contemporary media. A news report, advertisement, film, photograph, or social-media post can also be read as a cultural text. As an English Literature student, I want to carry the habit of critical reading beyond literature and into everyday life. For me, this is one of the most valuable lessons Cultural Studies offers: we should learn not only to read books but also to read the world around us.
Intellectual Freedom and Independent Thinking
Ultimately, I understand true education as a movement towards intellectual freedom. Barad’s discussion of Chomsky presents education as a means of developing inquiry, creativity, independence, and the ability to find one's own way. I strongly agree with this idea. Education should not make us dependent on others for every answer. Instead, it should give us the confidence to investigate questions ourselves, engage with evidence, listen to different perspectives, and reach thoughtful conclusions.
For me, the most valuable education is not the education that gives us all the answers but the education that teaches us how to ask better questions.
Conclusion
In my perspective, a truly educated person in today’s media-saturated world is not simply someone who possesses information, but someone who knows how to question, verify, interpret, connect, and rethink. True education requires critical thinking, fact-checking, media literacy, awareness of power, sensitivity towards representation, openness to different perspectives, and the willingness to unlearn and relearn.
As an English Literature student, I believe that education has taught me a valuable habit: to read beneath the surface. In the same way that I critically read a literary text, I should critically read the media texts that surround me every day. Therefore, to be truly educated today means to become an independent thinker, critical reader, responsible media user, and lifelong learner. Most importantly, it means having the intellectual freedom to question what is presented to us, discover for ourselves, and find our own way of understanding the world.
Watch this amazing debate between Michael Foucault and Noam Chomsky on 'Human Nature and Power' (1971):
References:
Barad, Dilip. “Cultural Studies: Media, Power and Truly Educated Person.” Dilip Barad Blog, 14 Mar. 2017, https://blog.dilipbarad.com/2017/03/cultural-studies-media-power-and-truly.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2026.
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