Media has always had the power to affect people on a nonverbal and emotional level. At its best, it can be a source of aesthetic pleasure and deep personal satisfaction. At its worst, citizens and consumers are exposed to psychological and political manipulation which may make them anxious and depressed, dissatisfied with what they have, disconnected from their local communities, and disinterested in effecting meaningful global change. The explosion of technology and media has led to a culture in which people are constantly exposed or, one might argue, oversaturated with both. Students have grown up in a world with computers that stream images and content, with 200-plus television channels, with iPods and YouTube and mash-ups--and it's all about "you". For years, teachers have taught students to analyze and deconstruct texts, poetry, essays and novels but, with increasing frequency, they must make sense of information delivered in a visual format. In this article, the authors discuss how to teach students to deconstruct media in a way that encourages active participation and a deeper, more personal understanding of its effects. When creating a media curriculum for students, the authors suggest to choose age-appropriate media that is also "timely". Since today's youth routinely ingest several stimuli in short bits simultaneously, the authors suggest to design lessons in the same way; instead of showing an entire documentary about journalism, teachers cut three or four short clips and intersperse them with conversation, pictures, music, and text.