Media Literacy - An Ongoing Project. Designing a path to reflect on Media Literacy and its creative dimension

Abstract

Concept characterized by its volatility, media literacy has been pointed out as an "incomplete project" (McDougall, 2014). However, a review of literature reveals aspects that allow us to build a path towards consensus. The concept's characterization through its two social functions; the reflection from the new competences perspective, on which relies the real capacity of the individual to be an effective citizen or not; and the understanding of the importance of the evaluation in the educational context are some of them. In addition, other signs appear, such as the understanding of the crucial conditions to teach media literacy in a complete manner, the impulse of the digital and the Internet to promotea more active and responsible participation (Flanagin and Metzger, 2010), and the emergence of a new posture towards media content by the new generations -reader, producer and reproducer. At the same time, media literacy's creative dimension has gained weight in socioeconomic and educational discourses, making it crucial to understand it, in order to the individual to be able to respond to today's demands (Kirsch, Jungeblut & Kalstad, 1993). Thus, the standardization of a generalized conception of media literacy requires an understanding of its creative dimension and its relevance in the 21st century.This literature review draws a transversal perspective of Media literacy, considering the importance of stabilizing the basic concept, of defining the competences that compose it and that should be taught and acquired, and of promoting the development of standardized evaluation instruments in the educational context.