Media Literacy Foundations

Abstract

The concept of media literacy refers to the set of knowledge, skills, and habits of mind required for full participation in a contemporary media‐saturated society. Typically associated with the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create messages in a wide variety of forms, the concept of media literacy continues to morph and change as a result of rapid changes in digital media, mass media, social media, popular culture, and society. Contributing to distinctive approaches and perspectives is the rise of a community of scholars and practitioners who conceptualize media literacy as an expansion of literacy, as a form of advocacy or as a social movement, as a specialized academic field, or as a set of pedagogical practices that involve the media and technology. Media literacy has entered the education and cultural system in four distinct ways: as an expanded form of literacy; as an intervention designed to address potential harms of media exposure; as an approach designed to integrate digital technology into education; and as a dimension of global citizenship. Today media literacy initiatives occur in many nations; and it is evident that differences in cultural values, press freedoms, media systems, education structures, education policy, and media technology all shape the specific direction, goals, implementation, and assessment of media literacy initiatives.

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