The effect of personal locus in media literacy on youth’s interpretation of violent media messages

Media literacy is an important factor in determining how an individual internalises media messages which in turn, affect how they view the world. This paper expounds on how personal locus, an element of media literacy, affects the cognitive process of constructing and interpreting violent media messages. The focus of this study is youths between 15 and 19 years old as this age group is deemed the most susceptible to the effect of violent media messages. A total of 21 respondents were selected and sorted into four different groups based on their media literacy level. The findings reveal that youths with a higher media literacy score have a clearer aim in their consumption. They are also more curious about media education and the effects of media. Youths with high media literacy are able to utilize different media literacy skills, resulting in a more varied interpretation and analysis of violent media messages. Their perception of violence is more abstract and contextualized. Youths with low media literacy, on the other hand, have a limited and more superficial interpretation of violent media messages. It can be concluded that youths with low media literacy are more susceptible to negative effects of violent media messages. This research is useful for the government to design better media literacy policies, especially with the rise of violent media messages on social media.