Historical Context and Personal Foundation

Steve Hargadon grounds his understanding of media literacy's importance in formative personal experiences that illustrate the power of perspective-shifting encounters with information and narratives. He recounts his father Fred Hargadon's transformative moment in an English class at Haverford College, where a teacher challenged him to look beyond literal interpretation of text in Huckleberry Finn, asking "what does it mean?" when Jim tells Huck a storm is coming. This experience represents the foundational skill of reading beyond surface meaning.

Hargadon's own awakening came during a high school exchange year in Brazil, where his host family challenged his "America-centric naivete about the world." He describes this as learning "to see the world through the eyes of other people and their culture," emphasizing that such intellectual and emotional growth "is surely at the heart of the kind of formal and informal learning experiences that actually change us."

Narratives as Cultural Foundation and Control

Hargadon argues that "cultures and institutions are built on narratives, that is, defining stories that allow their members to find meaning in work and living, and also allow the passing on of a set of values to next generations." However, he warns that these narratives function "like the shadows in Plato's Cave"

• they are "simplified stories projected onto the general members by those with the power and authority to do so."

This analysis reveals a critical insight: "what we adopted as truth are actually just stories, and that they are only virus-like approximations of truth, because as it turns out, truth is really hard to get at and isn't necessarily easily communicated." He notes that in current political and social debates, "ideas spread because they are good at spreading, not necessarily because they have truth in them."

Information Disruption and Historical Consequences

Hargadon positions media literacy within the broader historical context of information control and dissemination. He identifies "the ability to share ideas that challenge existing power and control" as "fundamentally a part of the story of human progress," with the printing press marking "an incredible milestone in our social evolution, considerably reshaping and re-distributing the power to communicate ideas."

However, he emphasizes that "disruptions to the power to control ideas and thinking do not come without significant human cost," citing an estimate that 250 million people were killed by governments in the 20th century. This historical perspective underscores his argument that challenging existing power structures through independent thinking has always carried risks.

Contemporary Urgency and Censorship Concerns

Hargadon argues that current circumstances make media literacy education particularly critical. He expresses concern about those who advocate "for one group of people to determine what is correct thinking and to enforce that through censorship or control," especially when "people are quick to label any questioning or independent thinking as 'conspiracy theories.'"

He references historical examples of institutional deception, asking: "did you not watch or learn about the tobacco industry misrepresenting the truth for decades?" and pointing to ongoing "scandal after scandal, each exposing webs of collusion to bring profit or power to some at great harm to others."

Regarding social media platforms, Hargadon notes they have received legal protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act because they "offer a forum for a true diversity of political discourse." He expresses concern that these platforms have begun "secretly and then openly censoring viewpoints based on often-fuzzy principles that are not universally applied."

Educational Philosophy and The Dual Nature of Schooling

Hargadon identifies a fundamental tension in education, arguing that "we're of two minds about education" with "mixed educational motives." On one hand, "education is about social control"

• creating "conformance, because it's much easier to run a family or an organization or a business or a country when people have learned the importance of obeying."

On the other hand, "education is about strengthening the individual capacity for thinking, because a group or society that sees its strength in the combined capacities and capabilities of its individual members is less fragile, and arguably less dangerous, than one that sees its strength in demanding agreement and conformity."

Drawing from his survey at www.gameofschool.org, Hargadon reports that teachers believe "close to half their students leave school 'beaten,' with the belief that they are not good learners." Even successful students often report they became good at the "game of school" rather than becoming "good learners."

The Core Argument for Media Literacy

Hargadon's central thesis positions media literacy as essential to human agency and progress. He argues that "the human condition depends on individuals having access to information, being challenged to think critically and with more clarity, and in having forums for the open discussion and thoughtful and informed challenging of ideas."

He contends that "to promote censorship is to promote a conception that the recipient of information is passive and incapable," which becomes "a terrible self-fulfilling prophecy" that "sees the individual as never more than a follower and a victim, without the ability to grow and exercise their individual thinking capacity."

His fundamental principle states: "The answer to bad or lazy thinking is to teach better thinking, not to censor." He argues there "could be no more important time to be teaching media literacy than right now--maybe in the entire history of the world," given the ubiquity of electronic platforms, current threats to freedom of expression, and the use of electronic tools for monitoring thought by governments and corporations.