Media and Information Literacy Repository – South Asia

Visualization in various aspects requires students to understand the meaning clearly, particularly through the skill of visual perception. This article examines how students' visual perception skills are applied in interpreting advertisements. The research method employed is a descriptive qualitative approach with multimodal analysis (linguistics, visual, audio, gestural, and spatial) to uncover the meanings behind advertisements. The respondents involved in this study are students from two universities in Indonesia. The results indicate that students tend to engage more with digital-based advertisements than non-digital ones, with a clear preference for video ads over static images. Additionally, Indonesian students successfully applied multimodal analyses to various types of advertisements. These findings have practical implications for educational practices, especially in enhancing visual literacy and developing critical skills for understanding and creating media. The significance of visual literacy in global educational contexts is highlighted, providing insight into its potential applications in curriculum development and advertising literacy.

This paper examines a critical approach to analyzing advertising media messages and describes a number of instructional activities meant to enhance students’ reading and discussion skills, enforce their inferential thinking and critical analysis skills. It also considers linguistic, extralinguistic and extracurricular reasons for integrating advertising media messages in the EFL classroom. The focus is on key media education concepts which rely on applying critical questions advertising media messages. Analysis of advertising messages can help EFL teachers encourage sociocultural interpretation of contemporary media texts and raise students’ media literacy in the EFL classroom.

Engaging with influencer posts has become a prevalent practice among adolescents on social media, exposing them to the combined elements of promotional content and entertainment in influencer marketing. However, the versatile and appealing nature of this content may hinder adolescents’ ability to engage in critical thinking and accurately interpret this hybrid form of advertising. This study aims to investigate adolescents’ capacity to critically process persuasive content shared by influencers, utilizing the five components of digital critical thinking outlined by Van Laar (2019): clarification, evaluation, justification, linking of ideas, and novelty. To analyze minors’ online experiences, a qualitative approach was employed involving twelve discussion groups with a total of 62 children and adolescents aged 11 to 17 in Spain. The findings indicate that the exercise of critical thinking in response to influencer marketing is closely associated with the cognitive and affective dimensions of advertising literacy in adolescents, while wamong them.

This study explores early adolescents’ understanding of and perceptions about the digital advertising system and the types of responses they feel are available as they engage with digital advertising, particularly personalized online ads and influencer marketing, two forms of digital advertising that introduce unique challenges as users must navigate platform dynamics and processes of datafication. To answer these questions, we facilitated an advertising literacy program for 11- and 12-year-old students. We designed the program using what we call the EASY (Ethics of Actors in SYstems) approach, which engages students in role-play activities and reflective discussion, whereby creating an opportunity for students to grapple with the range of actors and the ethical dilemmas that are introduced by and embedded within the multiple components of the digital advertising system. Here we present findings from this program, including how participating students articulated their understandings of and strategies for negotiating the digital advertising system, as well as their ideas for how the system could work more ethically. This research can inform the further development of advertising literacy education that helps adolescents explore how various actors might work toward a transformed digital advertising system.

This paper questions the notion of digital advertising literacy. We first propose a theoretical positioning that tries to think of self-taught literacy, not necessarily linked to education and state intervention, by a daily company with advertising. We will explore the French case, since the nineteenth century, to understand how people developed advertising literacy through different means. In this respect, how can we think of an active receiver, controlling codes instead of manipulated crowds? We will then explore contemporary forms of advertising digital literacy such as online conversation on social networks, algorithmic advertising, and advertising culture

The study explores possible methods of assessing the level of advertising literacy by examining it in juxtaposition with artificial intelligence (AI) and human judgement. The ability to understand advertisements is an important part of being able to correctly interpret information in the media, which helps people recognize techniques in advertising and make decisions based on recognition. Traditional approaches to testing advertising literacy, such as surveys, tests, and qualitative techniques, are important, but have limited scope and granularity of analysis. New technologies that incorporate artificial intelligence allow for deeper exploration of behavior and emotion using hybrid models that combine the accuracy of artificial intelligence with human understanding. The present exploration assesses the possibilities and includes attributes such as effectiveness, benefits and barriers of AI-driven tools and combined technologies. The results suggest the necessity to develop tools for specific target groups and propose methods for combining technological advances with human aspects in order to improve the assessment of advertising literacy. The study highlights the potential of using flexible and easily scalable methods to cope with the increasing complexity of advertising in the current digital age.

South Africa has one of the highest incidences of HIV/AIDS in the world, but lacks a prominent, effective, publicly funded media information and education campaign.Footnote1 The absence of adequate government communication in this area of health education has created a space for innovative community and corporate interventions. This article brings together arguments about the functions of advertising, the socio‐political dynamics of sexual behaviour change and the semiotic impact of media representations. It analyses corporate social responsibility initiatives in which a commercial advertising agency, a multinational corporation, and a television broadcaster have become involved in public service communication and have taken responsibility for publicizing AIDS‐related issues. The three intersecting case studies undertaken here focus on pro bono advertising work by Saatchi and Saatchi; the Levi Strauss Foundation's support for AIDS concerns (including Levi's own advertisements featuring HIV+ models); and the ‘Vuka Awards’, a national competition for public service announcements (PSAs) funded and broadcast by MultiChoice Africa.Footnote2 While the public awareness campaigns launched by these corporate citizens represent worthwhile social interventions, analysis reveals a range of competing interests, persuasion strategies and communication objectives. The production of commercial advertisements and public relations campaigns entails different aims, responsibilities and requirements. Conflating the goals and techniques of each can result in a confused message and in the misdirection of communication efforts, particularly if the audience that might benefit most isn't necessarily attractive to the corporate sponsor. The following analysis of these progressive initiatives is not intended to detract from the campaigns themselves. Instead, it aims to foreground areas in which collaboration between academic researchers and organizations involved in social investment projects might be beneficial, and to question whether commercial advertising techniques can serve the function of a well‐researched PSA.

The report “Responding to Organized Crime in Canada: The Role of Media and Social Marketing Campaigns” explores how media campaigns and social marketing strategies can help law-enforcement agencies address organized crime in Canada. The study reviews existing public awareness campaigns and examines how media can educate citizens, influence public attitudes, and encourage cooperation between communities and law enforcement. It explains that social marketing focuses on promoting ideas and behavioural change for the public good, rather than selling products. The report analyzes examples of crime-prevention campaigns and highlights lessons for designing effective media strategies against organized crime. Overall, it suggests that well-planned media and education campaigns can raise awareness, change behaviour, and support efforts to combat organized crime.

This chapter discusses the democratic threats associated with micro-targeted advertising from third parties, using the Facebook Ad Library (FAL) as a case study to assess whether this type of tool can effectively prevent these potential threats to Canadian electoral integrity. We will analyze third parties’ use of Facebook during the 2019 federal election to understand their online advertising strategies, as well as evaluate whether the FAL can help identify reprehensible behavior, such as violations of the Canadian Election Act. Thus, this chapter focuses on two main research questions: (Q1) How does the information stored in the FAL help its users better understand the content of third parties’ electoral messages? (Q2) How does the information stored in the FAL help its users better understand third parties’ micro-targeting tactical operations? We hypothesize that while the FAL can help its users understand the content of third party messages, it does a poor job of providing useful information on the parameters of their online distribution strategy, and therefore does not effectively prevent democratic threats related to micro-targeting techniques. In this chapter we first discuss the importance of third parties in Canadian elections, and the democratic threats associated with micro-targeted advertising. We then present the Facebook Advertising Library and the limitations of this type of tool identified in the literature. Next, we use the “Strong and Proud” network as a case study to examine whether the FAL effectively helped Canadians assess how third parties used the social network for micro-targeted advertising during the 2019 campaign. A discussion of the apparent limitations of the tool concludes the chapter.

The advent of digital media has profoundly transformed political campaigns and voter behavior, reshaping the landscape of political communication and electoral processes. Digital platforms, such as social media, websites, and online forums, have enabled political candidates to engage with voters more directly and efficiently than ever before. Through personalized messaging, targeted advertising, and real-time interaction, campaigns can now tailor their strategies to specific voter demographics, harnessing data analytics to influence opinions and mobilize supporters. Additionally, digital media offers voters unprecedented access to information, allowing them to evaluate candidates and issues from multiple perspectives. However, the same platforms also present challenges, such as the spread of misinformation, echo chambers, and polarization, which can distort public discourse and affect voter decision-making. This paper explores the dual-edged role of digital media in modern political campaigns and its impact on voter behavior, including the implications for democratic participation and the integrity of electoral processes.

Political advertising on social media has become a powerful tool in shaping voter perceptions, influencing electoral outcomes, and driving political engagement. However,the growing use of social media platforms for political advertising raises concerns about transparency, the targeting of vulnerable populations, and the potential for misinformation. This article investigates the trends in political advertising on social media, examining the use of micro-targeting, the role of data analytics, and the ethical implications of these practices. Drawing on case studies from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil, the article analyzes the effectiveness of social mediapolitical ads in influencing voters and discusses the challenges of ensuring transparency and accountability in the digital age. It also evaluates current regulatory frameworks and proposes solutions to improve transparency and protect democratic processes in the context of digital political advertising

Digital marketing practices have gained an increasing theoretical attention. Most studies concentrated on issues related to Marketing ethics in the context of traditional media. This paper is a literature review that aims is to focus on ethical issues surrounding targeting in the digital marketing era. This article is a theoretical review that presents a conceptual analysis about marketing ethics in children targeting which is merely based on relying on secondary sources of recent data. In this paper, we will concentrate on specificities of targeting in the digital marketing context and children targeting that evolve continuously to sway kids purchasing decision.

The aim of the research is to evaluate the impact of the current advertising ethics to children on brands and parents’ expectations. The researcher has used a qualitative research method by interviewing ten brand marketers who have the knowledge of Indian advertising landscape to understand their views on the ethical practices currently being following in the industry. The interviews were semi-structured in nature and narrative research design was carried out. The analyses showed that Indian marketers had basic awareness about advertising ethics to be followed in an organisation and most of them are not following any of it when it comes to advertising to children. This research proposes businesses to develop their own ethical advertising guidelines on top of the laws of Indian government, as well as to conduct compliance assessments on a regular basis.

Many researchers and organizations, such as WHO and UNICEF, have raised awareness of the dangers of advertisements targeted at children. While most existing laws only regulate ads on television that may reach children, lawmakers have been working on extending regulations to online advertising and, for example, forbid(e.g., the DSA) or restrict (e.g., the COPPA) advertising based on profiling to children. At first sight, ad platforms such as Google seem to protect children by not allowing advertisers to target their ads to users that are less than 18 years old. However, this paper shows that other targeting features can be exploited to reach children. For example on YouTube, advertisers can target their ads to users watching a particular video through placement-based targeting, a form of con-textual targeting. Hence, advertisers can target children by simply placing their ads in children-focused videos. Through a series of ad experiments, we show that placement-based targeting is possible on children-focused videos and, hence, enables marketing to children. In addition, our ad experiments show that advertisers can use targeting based on profiling (e.g., interest, location, behavior) in combination with placement-based advertising on children-focused videos. We discuss the lawfulness of these two practices with respect to DSA and COPPA. Finally, we investigate to which extent real-world advertisers are employing placement-based targeting to reach children with ads on YouTube. We propose a measurement methodology consisting of building a Chrome extension able to capture ads and instrumenting six browser profiles to watch children-focused videos. Our results show that 7% of ads that appear in the children-focused videos we test use placement-based targeting. Hence, targeting children with ads on YouTube is not only hypothetically possible but alsooccurs in practice. We believe that the current legal and technicalsolutions are not enough to protect children from harm due to online advertising. A straightforward solution would be to forbid placement-based advertising on children-focused content.

Social media platforms are an effective channel for businesses to reach potential audiences through targeted advertising. As the user base of these platforms expands and diversifies, research on targeted advertising and social media needs to go beyond well-studied Western contexts. In an online survey (n=412), we compared users' privacy-related perceptions and behaviors regarding targeted ads on social media in the United States (as a baseline representing Western contexts) and three South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. We found that participants in the US perceived significantly fewer benefits and more concerns related to security and privacy about targeted ads than those in the three South Asian countries. We also identified that individual's cultural values and religious affiliations influenced the observed cross-country variances. For instance, US participants identified less with vertical collectivism and vertical individualism than South Asian participants; these two cultural dimensions were, in turn, positively associated with perceived benefits. Our findings highlight the limitation of using one's country as a proxy for culture, as our findings show users' privacy perceptions regarding targeted advertising on social media are more fundamentally associated with their cultural values and religion. We discuss the corresponding design, education, and regulatory implications for targeted advertising on social media.

Understanding personalized content and its societal implications is critical in the digital media era. This article introduces a novel information-analytical system designed to evaluate the level of knowledge among different social classes regarding personalized content in the digital media ecosystem. Utilizing data from 1213 Czech respondents, we employ fuzzy logic and multidimensional membership functions for an in-depth evaluation of the populace’s awareness. It categorizes population knowledge on personalization processes, their preferences, and trust levels and advocates control mechanisms over online content. The research reveals significant insights into demographic disparities in digital media literacy, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted educational programs. This paper presents a pioneering methodological framework and lays the groundwork for future investigations into personalized media services’ ethical considerations and socio-political dynamics. Our study contributes to the broader discourse on media literacy, algorithmic understanding, and protecting informational self-determination in the digital age.

This study explores adolescents’ awareness of the sources that inform online profiling and their perspectives on online targeted advertisements. It employs thematic analysis to analyse eight focus group discussions (N = 38) with adolescents (13–16 years) in Finland’s capital region. The study advances research on adolescents’ knowledge of the data gathered for online profiling by highlighting that adolescents infer that apart from previous online activities, data on their verbal conversations also inform targeted advertisements. The study also advances research on adolescents’ perspectives on online targeted advertisements by identifying that adolescents’ privacy expectations in the context of targeted advertisements are that data should not be collected without their awareness and commercial entities should not use data on previous conversations for profiling. This study also pinpoints that online profiling gives some adolescents a privacy-invasive feeling of being observed, and others have a boundary until which they consider online data collection for profiling permissible. Moreover, some adolescents express ambivalent views on online targeted advertisements. The findings reflect some adolescents’ acceptance of online profiling and knowledge gaps that can inform media literacy educators. The findings raise concerns about the opacity of online commercial data-gathering practices. Therefore, we urge corporations to demystify their data collection processes.

Targeted advertising is big part of the modern marketing. Almost every consumer on the internet have come across an ad that had been targeted to them. Can targeted ads be too intrusive to the point of changing your purchasing decisions to the better or worse. It also sparks a conversation about oneself privacy and how much there are information floating about that are being used without your knowledge. This thesis looks at how consumer behaviour and ethical issues in the digital age are affected by targeted advertising and how people perceive targeted ads. The thesis also examines how different ways of approaching and looking at targeted ads can effect on your perceived intrusiveness of said ad. This study uses a qualitative research method to examine how consumers' privacy concerns and decision-making processes are impacted by targeted advertising. The findings suggest varied consumer responses to targeted advertising, with interesting insights into their decision-making processes and privacy concerns. The findings indicated that

Our study stresses the importance of developing understandable and easily recognizable ad disclosures for adolescents as a specific target group of social media influencer (SMI) advertising. A comprehensive advertising literacy concept that includes a cognitive, performative, and attitudinal component builds the theoretical background of the present research. We examine the effectiveness of ad disclosure in the native language of adolescent Instagram users, explore their understanding of the economic mechanism behind SMIs’ advertising activities, and their skepticism toward sponsored content. Furthermore, we analyze the role that sponsorship transparency on Instagram stories plays in adolescents’ responses to advertising. A three-level between-subjects survey-based experimental design (manipulating the absence of ad disclosure versus ad disclosure in the participants’ native language versus standardized paid partnership ad disclosure in English) was conducted online with female adolescent participants (N = 241) in a European country. Findings showed that adolescents who understand the economic model behind SMI advertising have positive intentions toward the SMI and intend to spread online information about the promoted brand. However, even if ad disclosure made in the adolescents’ native language improved ad recognition, such knowledge did not result in more sophisticated defense mechanisms in the form of critical evaluations of the ads.

Using unique data from 609 parent–daughter (8–16 years of age) dyads, in an online experiment we studied two pivotal antecedents of young viewers’ cognitive advertising literacy: influencer-generated sponsorship disclosure (written and/or spoken) and parental mediation style (active or restrictive). A between-subjects, single-factor design was applied with three experimental conditions: written disclosure, spoken disclosure, and both written and spoken disclosure, and a control condition—no disclosure. Variance-based partial least squares structural equation modeling in Smart-PLS 3.0 shows that policy makers’ and parental measures to safeguard young consumers from negative consequences of sponsored vlogs can lead to unanticipated effects. While the combination of written and spoken sponsorship disclosure information as well as an active parental mediation style increase cognitive advertising literacy, restrictive parental mediation negatively affects cognitive advertising literacy. In addition, cognitive advertising literacy negatively affects young viewers’ evaluation of the vlogger and positively affects the attitude toward the sponsored brand. Our findings provide important insights for parents, practitioners, and regulators and contribute to the discussion of how to make influencer marketing more effective and ethical.

The advent of digital media has profoundly transformed political campaigns and voter behavior, reshaping the landscape of political communication and electoral processes. Digital platforms, such as social media, websites, and online forums, have enabled political candidates to engage with voters more directly and efficiently than ever before. Through personalized messaging, targeted advertising, and real-time interaction, campaigns can now tailor their strategies to specific voter demographics, harnessing data analytics to influence opinions and mobilize supporters. Additionally, digital media offers voters unprecedented access to information, allowing them to evaluate candidates and issues from multiple perspectives. However, the same platforms also present challenges, such as the spread of misinformation, echo chambers, and polarization, which can distort public discourse and affect voter decision-making. This paper explores the dual-edged role of digital media in modern political campaigns and its impact on voter behavior, including the implications for democratic participation and the integrity of electoral processes.

Social media and the sometimes opaque algorithms of the platforms are playing an increasingly influential role in political communication strategies because of advancing digitalisation. Traditional communication and political theories have undergone a paradigm shift due to social media platforms, and their premises have been expanded. As part of a systematic literature review, five hypotheses were examined in order to generate a broad basic understanding of the relevance of algorithms, platforms and their operators, as well as regulatory approaches in political election campaigns. The research focuses primarily on Western democratic countries. The results are limited in their significance, but point to the relevance of a global, cooperative approach to the issue. Cooperative collaboration can ensure the control of algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital strategies. It is also necessary to ensure access to digital campaign tools and strategies for all. Transparency and global solutions are key to achieving this goal. This literature review will discuss current research findings in various countries and highlight national regulatory approaches. These will form the basis for further research and policy recommendations.

Disinformation and other forms of manipulative, antidemocratic communication have emerged as a problem for Internet policy. While such operations are not limited to electoral politics, efforts to influence and disrupt elections have created significant concerns. Data-driven digital advertising has played a key role in facilitating political manipulation campaigns. Rather than stand alone incidents, manipulation operations reflect systemic issues within digital advertising markets and infrastructures. Policy responses must include approaches that consider digital advertising platforms and the strategic communications capacities they enable. At their root, these systems are designed to facilitate asymmetrical relationships of influence.

Parental mediation plays a leading role in the process of shaping children’s relations with and raising awareness about digital advertisements. This study aims to qualitatively evaluate the effectiveness of the digital-based education model created to develop digital advertising literacy skills that parents need in this process. For this purpose, the action research model, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was adopted in the study and a 12-hour digital-based training was conducted with the participation of seven parents with children between the ages of 7 and 13 living in Antalya. Semi-structured interview was used to collect research data. The qualitative data obtained through semi-structured interview and observation were qualitatively content-analyzed in the MAXQDA 2020 analysis program. The results obtained from the qualitative data showed that the education model contributed to the development of parents’ skills in terms of conceptual, attitudinal and performance dimensions of digital advertising literacy. It was determined that this improvement also reflected positively on parental mediation strategies. Based on the results of the research, suggestions were made to researchers, practitioners and policy makers working in this field.

This thesis explores parents’ views on advertising directed at children through digital media. It examines how parents perceive the influence of advertising on children’s behavior, consumption habits, and attitudes. The study also investigates parents’ awareness of digital advertising techniques and their concerns about children’s exposure to marketing messages online. The research highlights issues such as ethical concerns, persuasion techniques, and the vulnerability of children as consumers. Findings suggest that many parents are worried about the growing presence of digital advertising and its potential impact on children’s development and decision-making. The thesis emphasizes the need for greater regulation, parental guidance, and media literacy to help children critically understand advertising messages.