In this first episode of “Manshuq Media Literacy Lessons,” one of our favorite writers—the Kazakhstani opinion journalist Madi Mambetov—talks about the importance of media literacy.
By Madi Mambetov
December 6th, 2022
The excellent TV show The Good Place, which was aired from 2016 to 2022, is centered around the afterlife of a group of people who made it past the pearly gates to continue their no longer mortal existence. Side-splitting at times, the series touches on very important philosophical issues. Its central takeaway is that the modern world has become extraordinarily complicated, making it virtually impossible to live a sinless life. Salvation is no longer just observing religious precepts and covenants but depends on one remaining perpetually vigilant. Nowadays, committing a deadly sin is a piece of cake.
It might seem odd to begin a text about media literacy with theology and terms like “sin” and “soul” but in the past couple of years, what the Good Place series warned us about has not only remained relevant but gained a new, vital importance. Since WWII or maybe the Cuban Missile Crisis, the world has never faced such diverse crises and catastrophes as it has in the past two years. My generation has never seen anything like it.
Back in the 1990s, as the internet spread in popularity a few years after its invention, most of its users were content with the way things were, even pleased by the new possibilities it afforded. Those commenting on the role of new media were euphoric. And why wouldn’t they be? The world was flooded by an unprecedented flow of information, practically free and almost limitless; you could find anything and everything, listen to any song, watch any movie, and read any book you wanted to. Access to encyclopedias was no longer limited to people with ample bookshelves and library passes. The musings of journalists and experts were no longer available only to subscribers or print media consumers. The spirit of a new Age of Enlightenment was in the air, and the elitism of knowledge production and consumption seemed a relic of the past. The first users of the internet were above all excited by the emerging ocean of unrestricted information, overwhelming the ability of world governments and the global elite to impose their agenda by reporting only what they thought necessary.
It seemed that the internet would become the main driver of democracy in the world, and autocracies wouldn’t stand a chance.
