[Last updated: May 2020]

Media (Literacy): The ability to analyze, evaluate, circulate, and create content in any media form (e.g., print, visual, interactive, audio), and to participate in communities and networks. “Media literacies,” in the plural, include “media literacy” (Hobbs, 2010), what some researchers have conceptualized as “new literacies” (Lankshear & Knobel, 2007), and “new media literacies” (Jenkins, Clinton, Purushotma, Robison, & Weigel, 2006). That is, they encompass literacy approaches that not only focus on individual engagement with media (media literacy) but also competencies that address community involvement and participatory cultures. “Media literacies” also include literacies such as reading and writing.

We encourage you to visit our page on “Digital Citizenship,” which features more information about the skills we feel are important for youth to fully participate academically, socially, ethically, politically, and economically in our rapidly evolving digital world.

Flagship publication:

• Youth and Digital Citizenship+ (Plus): Understanding Skills for a Digital World
  • [Pages 22-23] Provides a high-level overview of several concepts, including media literacy and new media literacies, connected to digital citizenship that address youth skill development in the context of digital technologies.