Critical Media Literacy and Cultural Autonomy in a Mediated World

We live in mediated worlds. Every waking hour of our lives finds us close, physically and mentally, to some sort of media content: Television, radio, movies, magazines, billboards, blogs, YouTube videos, websites, and social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, and Pinterest. Media scholars have been researching the ubiquitous role that media play in our lives for decades, but the current media environment is unlike any seen in history, as developments in digital technologies have produced a veritable onslaught of words, images, and sounds that can be accessed anywhere, at any time; all from a device that most of us carry around in our pockets. While no one would imagine that a flood rushing through one’s home would not have any impact on one’s life, it is just as misguided to think that this flood of media does not affect us significantly