i Advertising and Media Literacy:

Media literacy has a long international history, primarily in Western countries. It began in the 1960s in countries such as the United States, Canada and France, with the aim of empowering democratic citizens and enhancing citizen participation in society through a better understanding of the media. This thesis investigates young people’s media literacy of advertising and in particular, how media literacy might vary across cultures. This thesis considers the media literacy of four groups of 18– 25 year olds from different backgrounds: an Australia