CRITICAL THINKING AND MEDIA LITERACY

 

CRITICAL THINKING AND MEDIA LITERACY

Media literacy and critical thinking are closely related. Media literacy allows students to utilize media to learn about the world and understand they have choices. Media literacy promotes critical thinking beyond the traditional literacies of reading and writing, including visual and computer literacies. Critical thinking skills that students acquire through media literacy can protect them from the harmful effects of the media, enable them to appreciate the aesthetics of media, and empower them to engage in socio-political critique and participate in social justice movements. Digital media literacy is vital to the safety, security, health, and well-being of individuals and communities¹³.

Media literacy is essential because it helps people understand the messages that are being communicated to them. With so many sources of information today, media literacy can help people identify reliable sources and filter through the noise to get at the truth. Critical thinking remains at the heart of media literacy. As digital citizens, we must consistently engage with media content thoughtfully and skeptically. By equipping ourselves with media literacy tools, we become informed consumers and ethical contributors in an increasingly interconnected world.