Media Literacy and Civic Engagement in the Digital Era

Abstract

The digital media environment is complex, with a variety of platforms both increasing chances for civic engagement and increasing the dissemination of disinformation. In this paper, we explore the complex intersections of media literacy skills and civic engagement among adults in a digital age. The study explores the links among different levels of digital media competence and patterns of civic involvement, vulnerability to misinformation, and the ability to critically engage with online political information, based on a mixed-methods survey of 500 respondents from six age groups (18-65+). The results showed that there is a strong positive correlation (r = 0.74) between media literacy scores and constructive civic participation, with the media literacy score increasing as the rate of misinformation sharing decreases. The paper also proposes that unequal access to technology and algorithmic bias in emotionally charged content are systemic ways of restricting access to information and preventing citizens from exercising their informed citizenship. Media literacy education implications for policies, platform accountability, and democratic resilience are discussed, especially with regard to the UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy framework.

DOI - https://doi.org/10.65525/SVUP.9788199963313.2026.112-126