ISU School of Communication Professor credited as an editor in newly published media literacy book

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State University School of Communication Professor Megan Hopper has been featured as an editor and contributor in a newly published book on the importance of media literacy.

“The Importance of Media Literacy: Getting the Most from the Digital World”  tells readers what media literacy is and why it is needed across all demographics and media formats. The book also covers the potential negative and positive impacts of several types of media and what a healthy media diet looks like.

Hopper believes improving media literacy skills will aid readers in consuming future content.

“That’s where media literacy comes in and can play such an important role,” Hopper said. “So by implementing media literacy skills, consumers can accurately assess media content and break down the purpose of the content and then be able to assess the source’s reliability.”

The project took about two years to complete. Hopper worked with scholars from all over the world to create a comprehensive book to explain the importance of media literacy while also including examples for readers to use in their everyday lives.

 “This project really came out of a task force that I serve on with the American Psychological Association, looking at potential harmful consequences of the media, particularly on individuals body image and sort of the sexualization that is so prevalent, particularly sexualization of women in media,” Hopper said. 

Hopper was a co-editor and also contributed a chapter of the book with a couple of former ISU graduates. The chapter they wrote talks about media messages regarding sexual consent. She also wrote two lesson plans for the book for educators to potentially implement in their classroom.

The book is available for checkout at the Milner Library and for purchase on Amazon, as well as the Cambridge Scholars Publishing website.