The Role of Critical Media Literacy in Further Development of Consciousness of Citizenship

AbstractAmong the academic studies carried out in the field of communication in Turkey, attention to subject of media literacy is relatively new. When ever increasing importance of both traditional and social media is taken into account, media literacy studies present essential awareness and contributions to education of “conscious and democratic” citizens. Nowadays, mass media being referenced as a basic source of information has great importance in development of cultural, social, political, democratic conscious and especially in the development phase of culture of conscious citizenship. Media literacy, being a lifelong educational process, is an inevitable pragmatic action movement primarily for both educators and students, and in general for all citizens. In creation and development of democratic milieus, the presence of conscious, active and participating citizens gain value in the interpretation of both visual- auditory and multimedia messages and in making sense of these messages with a critical eye. Due to the fact that well-informed citizens will bring about free and democratic public opinion, each individual's being a media literate has become a necessity for modern societies.In this context, this study opens the role of critical media literacy in development of citizenship awareness and formation of democratic-pluralistic societies up for discussion; and is aimed at exposing the reasons why media literacy education is important in decoding phase of media messages, which plays a crucial part in the constitution of information on world in which we live