Welcome

We’re in an age of information overload, and too much of what we watch, hear and read is mistaken, deceitful or even dangerous. Yet you and I can take control and make media serve us — all of us — by being active consumers and participants. Here’s how.

That language is on the cover of Mediactive, a book that is at the heart of this site. It reflects a philosophy that is simple, though difficult in practice: that we all need to use, not merely consume, the media–and that being literate in a digital age includes being creators of media, too.

The book title is also the title of a new open online course that anyone can take, free of charge.  The course — you can learn more about it here — was created by the News Co/Lab at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. If you want to get get better at navigating our increasingly complex media ecosystem, please consider joining us.

–Dan Gillmor