Information or Manipulation: Media Literacy as a Critical Competence (A Qualitative Content Analysis of the Medijska pismenost Platform)

Abstract

In order to adapt to changes in their environment, individuals should develop media literacy, both among audiences and media professionals, while fostering critical awareness. This paper examines the role of media literacy in the development of critical thinking within the contemporary digital media environment. The aim of the research is to analyze how a specialized educational platform, specifically the website Media Literacy (Medijska pismenost - https://medijskapismenost.raskrinkavanje. ba/), frames and constructs media literacy, critically interprets media content, and recognizes disinformation, manipulation, and fake news. In a digital environment characterized by content hyperproduction, critical thinking becomes a necessary mechanism of protection against disinformation and media manipulation. Therefore, the central research question of this study is: How does the Medijska pismenost platform conceptualize and operationalize media literacy as a pedagogical practice? The research focuses on the analysis of selected sections of the website Media Literacy. The methodological framework includes qualitative content analysis applied to selected educational texts dealing with media manipulation, disinformation, factchecking practices, the role of the audience, and the critical interpretation of media messages.