Civic engagement, social justice, and media literacy

Connecting media literacy to the ethical, social, and emancipatory aspects of information societies within media-saturated convergence culture is an essential task in conceptualizing active digital citizenship. In this chapter we argue that media literacy’s full potential cannot be expressed unless the transformative power of digital new media is garnered for social justice and civic agency. With rising political partisanship, economic inequalities, and global climate change, media literacy can and should empower and support citizens’ engagement through the processes of using and producing messages. We need to be intentional about incorporating antioppression pedagogy, media activism, and critical consciousness into media literacy education, research, teaching, and praxis