Media and Information Literacy Repository – South Asia

Moving media literacy messages out of the classroom and onto the Internet, where much news consumption happens, offers an opportunity to extend media literacy education to a wider public. However, in doing so it becomes important to consider how the context in which such messages are seen conditions their impact on media literacy attitudes and knowledge. The results of an experimental test suggest that a media literacy public service announcement was more effective in reinforcing media literacy beliefs when paired with a partisan, rather than a neutral, political program. The effects of presenting media literacy messages outside of the classroom are discussed.

Scholars and educators have long hoped that media education is positively related to pro social goals such as political and civic engagement. With a focus on measuring news media literacy with emphasis on media knowledge, need for cognition and media locus of control, this study surveyed 537 college students and found positive relationships between news media literacy and two political engagement measures: current events knowledge and internal political efficacy. Findings show that news media literacy is not associated with political activity, although some dimensions of news media literacy are associated with lower levels of political trust. Results help to define significant components of news media literacy and suggest that these components help foster positive relationships with civic and political life.

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) has contributed to the understanding and adaptation to the major evolutionary and cultural changes of the digital transformation. This research aims to focus on the challenges of ensuring digital citizenship with critical thinking and skills that can reduce the negative effects of disinformation. The study uses documentary analysis to examine theoretical elements on the topic and consults Ibero-American researchers and experts who have worked on it. Among the main results, elements associated with misinformation that should be strengthened in MIL programs are focused. These components would contribute to fostering skills and a digital culture that allows for critically addressing the disinformation processes that are generated today in the media and public sector.

Advertising has become an integral part of people’s daily lives, and advertising literacy is a vital life skill that everyone should acquire. Scholars have proposed several conceptual frameworks of advertising literacy for the study of consumers’ advertising literacy. The purpose of this study isto sort out the major conceptual frameworks of advertising literacy, aalyze the links and differences between the conceptual frameworks, and explore the veins and roots, with viewpoints to provide a reference for related research.In this study, the researchers followed the Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Guidelines (PRISMA Guideline) for conducting a systematic review. This study established inclusion and exclusion criteria to identify and screen literature. A total of 26 articles related to the conceptual frameworks of advertising literacy were included and analyzed. The study results indicate that the development and research of the conceptual frameworks of advertising literacy are based on the forms and features of advertising, the connotation and dimension of advertising literacy, with the media literacy theory and persuasion knowledge theory as the foundation and source for research. These conceptual frameworks have been widely used by scholars and continue to develop with the advancement of digital technology and the information age. It is concluded thatthe conceptual framework of advertising literacy has important theoretical and practical significance. Researchers need to adapt to the demands of the times as well as update and expand the conceptual framework of advertising literacy on the basis of previous studies

The Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) is a research tool that is designed to identify potential risks to media pluralism in the Member States of the European Union and in Candidate Countries. This narrative report has been produced on the basis of the implementation of the MPM that was carried out in 2022. The implementation was conducted in 27 EU Member States, as well as in Albania, Montenegro, The Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. This project, under a preparatory action of the European Parliament, was supported by a grant awarded by the European Commission to the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) at the European University Institute.

It is now well understood that social media platforms collect data about their users. The platforms gather this data to push content that supports targeted advertisements. This business model incentivizes platforms to maximize user engagement and disseminate content that negatively impacts society. Notably, misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information demonstrably generate higher levels of engagement. Platforms claim they collect user data to personalize and improve the user experience. For example, TikTok and Meta platforms utilize data to craft their “For You Page” and “Recommended Posts,” respectively. However, this language obscures other motivations for user data collection, including targeted advertising. Today, no one doubts that these platforms collect user data, but the extent and purpose of this collection are often overlooked.

Potential benefits and risks related to mainstream social media platforms and their revenue model are vigorously debated. However, a comprehensive framework of performance criteria to evaluate social media platforms and suggestions for transforming them are rare. Employing a transdisciplinary approach, the present work aimed to close these gaps through semi-structured interviews with experts from academia and industry, coupled with exploratory thematic content/topic analysis. From the interviews, five pivotal performance criteria were extracted: transparency, protection of democracy, satisfaction of needs and preservation of well-being, networking capabilities, and absence of crime. Further, proposed transformations related to i) financing structures, ii) possibilities for users to protect their interests and data, iii) regulations, iv) possibilities for users to adjust platform design, and v) transparency are discussed. Properly operationalized, both the criteria and suggested transformations hold the potential to facilitate negotiations among users, (mainstream) social media companies, and governments.

Market-Oriented Disinformation Research explores the spread of false or misleading information online through the lens of marketing theory and consumer research. It examines how the business models of digital platforms and advertising technology firms (AdTech) generate digital markets that incentivize the circulation of harmful content for profit. Rather than viewing disinformation and misinformation as accidental byproducts, the book proposes that they thrive in the current markets designed for digital advertising and influencer marketing. Readers will learn how the amplification of disinformation can be linked to social media’s business model. Examples include how social media algorithms promote addictive content, how fake news sites use ad fraud to lure in advertising revenue, and how some content creators rely on clickbait, ragebait, bots, and conspiracy theories to boost their engagement metrics. The book is a must-read for scholars in journalism, media studies, and political communication, as well as policymakers interested in the democratic governance of social media platforms. In addition, it calls for digital marketing, advertising, and brand management professionals to take responsibility for their ad spending by advocating for greater oversight over AdTech intermediaries to prevent unethical actors from monetizing the harmful content that polarizes society and undermines democratic institutions.

The purpose of this paper was to provide a theoretical outline of why critical media literacy (CML) should be included in Korean English education teaching practices and teacher training curricula. CML is a pedagogy designed to sensitize students to ideological meanings embedded in media that socialize people into specific values, beliefs, and behaviors. This paper begins with a review of theoretical foundations of CML including the symbolic nature of human consciousness signification and the processes of socialization, which are theoretically encapsulated within the dialectic among post-structural theories of discourse and representation. A review of literature on CML and its application to English as a foreign language (EFL) is then presented. Applications of CML include situated inquiry, discussion, creation of group multimodal projects suggests, how it fosters the development of critical thinking skills, the acquisition and use of new vocabulary idioms, and transforming student perceptions of themselves and their society.

This study provides an analysis of how the term “media literacy” has been defined by authors of articles published in the Journal of Media Literacy Education. It generates answers to two questions: (1) To what extent does there appear to be a shared meaning for the term “media literacy” across authors who publish articles on this topic, and (2) When authors cite definitions of media literacy, which sources do they use most often? The findings of this content analysis reveal that there are a great many definitions being used for media literacy as well as a large number of sources being cited for those definitions. This study uncovered more than 400 definitional elements, which were then organized into a six-category scheme that reflects the full span of thinking exhibited by authors of the 210 articles published in this journal.

News media literacy has come to receive considerable public attention in recent years in the context of anxieties about the impact of misinformation on society. This article outlines research that examines how Australian teachers perceive and value news media literacy and it explores their experiences of teaching news in the classroom. The article presents findings from an online survey of 295 Australian teachers and follow-up semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers. Our analysis finds that although many teachers value students’ learning about the news, there are significant challenges and barriers to address if the approach is to become more widely available in Australian classrooms. Teachers lack direction about how news should be taught to young people, the curriculum is already crowded, limiting opportunities to address news, and teachers lack access to relevant professional development. The article provides insights into how to move forward to ensure young people receive adequate education about news in Australia, with the findings holding relevance to other countries facing similar challenges.

There is a lot of information in the literature about media literacy. Since the concept of media has a different meaning for many people, there may be different opinions about this concept. Many definitions have been made about media literacy. However, there are still some uncertainties regarding the concept of media literacy. Also, after the 2000s, it is observed that media literacy education has increased similarly due to people’s increasing interest in the academic field. Considering this process that continues until today, there is an accumulation of media literacy education. This study, which is designed as conceptual analysis, is to determine the essential elements that make up the field of media literacy by analyzing various definitions, models, usage areas, and relations with other literacy concepts related to media literacy. Thus, it is thought that the concept of media literacy will be presented in general terms and will contribute to the literature for people working in this field

Media literacy is defined as the ability to encode and decode the symbols transmitted via media and to synthesize, analyze and produce mediated messages. Media literacy raises questions about the impact of media and technology, which has the potential to increase individuals’ awareness about the effects of media on daily life. The aim of media literacy is to help students become competent, critical and literate in media forms because they need to interpret what they see or hear and prevent the interpretation from controlling them. Therefore, perceptions of students about their media literacy is a topic that requires attention at various education levels. The present study aimed to identify preparatory year program students’ self-perceptions about media literacy and to explore whether they benefited from mass media in learning a foreign language, English in this context. Data were collected using Media Literacy Level Determination Scale developed by Karatas (2008). Open-ended questions that aimed to reveal students’ perceptions of media literacy were asked with a view to supporting the data obtained from the scale. Both data collection tools also aimed to find out the factors associated with media literacy. The findings of the study are believed to open a perspective for the stakeholders in the language teaching process by providing insight into the university students’ stance towards media literacy.

Personalized marketing has become a common practice in online digital advertising, where ads are tailored to users based on their interests and online behavior. Advances in internet technology, software, and data analytics have made this strategy more effective than traditional mass marketing. In the past, one-to-one marketing was expensive and difficult, but digital platforms now make it easier and more efficient. However, personalization relies heavily on collecting users’ personal data, which raises privacy concerns. As targeted advertising increases, competition among marketers to capture consumer attention has also intensified. This has led to a stronger demand for consumer data. At the same time, many consumers are becoming more aware of how their data is used and feel uncomfortable with intrusive personalized ads. This creates a challenge for advertisers who want to attract attention without causing negative reactions. Researchers are therefore exploring ways to balance effective personalization with consumer privacy and trust.

The growth of online advertising has created several challenges such as excessive ads, highly personalized targeting, algorithmic bias, lack of transparency in ad placement, and complex financial flows in the ad-tech supply chain. Although industries and governments have introduced regulations and policies, monitoring systems often struggle to keep up with the rapidly evolving digital advertising ecosystem. The paper aims to develop a comparative and integrative framework for better regulatory oversight of online advertising. It uses a review of academic and grey literature to identify key challenges, mitigation strategies, and possible outcomes. The framework considers different market players, types of issues, and regulatory strategies. It also highlights areas needing further research and improvement. Overall, the study helps policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders balance the economic benefits of online advertising with user protection and transparency.

This case study provides practical and theoretical insights into the Stony Brook news literacy program, which is one of the most ambitious and well-funded curricular experiments in modern journalism education and media literacy. Analysis of document, interview, and observation data indicates that news literacy educators sought to teach students how to access, evaluate, analyze, and appreciate journalism. Students responded favorably to the approach that was designed for all undergraduates, instead of just journalism majors. Implications and future directions include looking at the preferred readings of news texts found in the Stony Brook curriculum in the same way one would contextualize lessons in college-level music appreciation courses.

In the age of digitalization, Digital and Media Literacy (DML) has gained increasing attention in European compulsory education, blending insights and experiences from the media education and digital literacy domains. Teacher education, starting from pre-service education, is central for the actual integration of DML education in classroom practice. This article discusses the case study of a two-credit introductory course to DML education for pre-service pre-primary and primary school teachers in Switzerland. The course, partially co-designed with its participants, intentionally explored many topics (as opposed to the in-depth analysis of a few) and focused on hands-on experimentation and reflection. The data collected with a pre/post survey and follow-up interviews offer insights on the evolution of pre-service teachers’ approach to DML, on their perceived role as teachers in this domain, on selfefficacy, and on potential enablers and obstacles to implementing DML activities in class. The case study suggests that, despite the limited space in the curriculum and resources available, even a short course can make a difference and enable teachers to integrate DML in their profession.

A case study of Sweden and Lithuania aims at analysing the important question of inclusion and exclusion when it comes to the media literacy and the digital divide. Analysis of country-level factors, such as social stratification, technological infrastructure, educational system, cultural values is provided with the goal to identify the keen factors widening the digital divide of certain population groups in both countries. The study has revealed that in regard to media literacy, age matters the most in case of Lithuania. On the contrary, in Sweden the digital divide between different age groups is diminishing but the media literacy of socio-economically marginalized groups (immigrants in particular) is much lower as compared to the general trends in population. The digital generation – children and teenagers – have got much more in common in both countries as opposed to the senior adult populations

This investigation highlights the ways and means of students’ formation of media literacy skills under the conditions of total and emergent distance learning in the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case study involved 138 first-year students from Sumy National Agrarian University, Ukraine, who studied English as a foreign language (EFL). Analysis, synthesis, and generalization of scientific data were conducted to determine the requirements and materials for the survey. Media literacy of the participants in the experimental group was developed through performance of a series of social media projects, critical analysis of social media texts, and creation of social media content. Pedagogical observation and expert estimation were employed to obtain qualitative results of partiucipants’ progress during practical classes and extracurricular activities. Psychological techniques and mathematical methods were employed to measure and assess the quantitative data of the experiment. The outcomes of the study revealed the positive dynamics of the development of reflective-evaluative, collaborative, and searching-creative skills of participants in the experimental group as well as improvement in their English proficiency. The result of this study is potentially appropriate for educators who are interested in the application of media technologies in foreign-language teaching.

With the changing media environment, media literacy education is an emerging field in China. Many studies have shown the significance of media literacy education, but they have mostly been conducted in the Western context, and there have been a few studies investigating media literacy education in the Asian context. Based on this understanding, this study aimed to explore the implementation of, and approaches to, media literacy education in a Chinese primary school. It aimed to shift media literacy education from an international context to a local setting, and offers a point of reference to enrich the theory and practice of the process of localisation. The research questions focused on how media literacy education was initiated in the context of the national curriculum reform in mainland, and two ways in which it was implemented in a primary school. It was a qualitative case study, using observation, interview, focus groups, group meetings and document analysis as the main methods of collecting data in the field.

This chapter provides a theoretical framework of critical media literacy (CML) pedagogy and examples of practical implementation in K-12 and teacher education. It begins with a brief discussion of literature indicating the need for educators to use a critical approach to media. The historical trajectory of CML and key concepts are then reviewed. Following this, the myths of “neutrality” and “normalcy” in education and media are challenged. The chapter takes a critical look at information and communication technologies and popular culture, reviewing how they often reinforce and occasionally challenge dominant ideologies. Next, this critical perspective is used to explore how CML interrogates the ways media tend to position viewers, users, and audiences to read and negotiate meanings about race, class, gender, and the multiple identity markers that privilege dominant groups. The subjective and ubiquitous nature of media is highlighted to underscore the transformative potential of CML to use media tools for promoting critical thinking and social justice in the classroom.

This article explores what critical thinking might mean in a media and information literacy (MIL) context by investigating how critical thinking is expressed in three reports that relate MIL to radicalization awareness and counter extremism. The purpose is to engage with recent debates about MIL and research on critical thinking and contribute to a grounded and theoretically informed foundation for discussing MIL competence. Findings indicate a primitive use of the term critical thinking, often bundled up with concepts such as democracy, creativity, and citizenship. More detailed and concrete descriptions about what to expect from critical thinking in a MIL framework display what can be described as a Gnostic impulse: critical thinking as a skill to reveal hidden meanings, to see through propaganda and flawed arguments. In other words, a critical thinking that asks people to doubt what they see. This notion is problematized in relation to writings on media literacy and critical thinking, focusing on the importance of acknowledging reflexivity and identity in the definition of critical thinking.

This qualitative study followed a group of classroom teachers as they explored the instructional possibilities of teaching with and about multimedia and popular culture, and their efforts to integrate critical multimedia literacy into their teaching. Throughout the semester, the teachers practiced critiquing and incorporating multiple media such as film, television, and digital technologies into their teaching. The semester-long research project documented some of the benefits and challenges of incorporating popular culture, mass media, and critical literacy into content area classes.

The article Critical Media Literacy: Research, Theory, and Practice in “New Times” by examines the concept of **critical media literacy** in contemporary digital and popular culture. It reviews existing research and theoretical perspectives to explain how media literacy helps students analyze media messages, question power relations, and understand how audiences are positioned by media texts. The authors argue that young people actively engage with media and popular culture rather than consuming it passively. The article emphasizes integrating critical media literacy into education so learners can critically interpret media, challenge dominant ideologies, and participate more thoughtfully in a rapidly evolving media environment.

The concept of critical media literacy expands the notion of literacy to include different forms of mass communication and popular culture, as well as deepens the potential of literacy education to critically analyze relationships between media and audiences, information and power. The authors argue that critical media literacy is crucial for participatory democracy in the twenty-first century, and that the only progressive option that exists is how to teach it, not whether to teach it. The article, first, explores the theoretical underpinnings of critical media literacy and demonstrates examples from community-based after school programs and an inner-city elementary school that received a federal grant to integrate media literacy and the arts into the curriculum. A multiperspectival approach addressing issues of gender, race, class and power is used to explore the interconnections of media literacy with cultural studies and critical pedagogy. It is argued that alternative media production must engage students to challenge the master narratives and the systems that make them appear natural. The article then explores the public policy options open to implementing a critical media literacy program. Focusing on media literacy policy in the USA, different approaches commonly used for teaching media literacy are explored and a hybrid critical media literacy framework is proposed. In this day and age of standardized high-stakes testing and corporate solicitations in public education, radical democracy depends on a Deweyan reconceptualization of literacy and the role of education in society. The authors conclude that on the public policy level critical media literacy must reframe our understanding of literacy so that these ideas become integrated across the curriculum at all levels from pre-school to university.