Social Media as a Tool for the Formation of Media Literacy

Abstract

Transformation and informatisation of society contribute to introducing social media and information and communication technologies (ICT) as an integral part of society. The article is devoted to studying forming such a key competence of modern personality as media literacy through social media. The analysis of recent research and publications shows that the use of social media is controversial and has already been studied by scholars in various aspects. The use of social media today can be perceived as a pedagogical tool and a lever of information and political influence on society. Taking into consideration the imposition of martial law in Ukraine, we experience a special need to create own platforms of proven and quality information presented to the audience on social media as well as experts and influencers that will support the image and spirit of the country and ensure the dissemination of verified and reliable information. Education is considered the main counteraction to propaganda, manipulation and bias, and educators have been the headliners of the educational process. When conducting the research, the following tasks were set: 1) to find out the peculiarities of social media functioning (especially in martial law); 2) to test the feasibility of using social media as a tool for forming media literacy (based on findings of the educators in Dnipropetrovsk region). To conduct a comprehensive study of the use of social media as a tool for forming media literacy, we used a mixed research design based on quantitative and qualitative methods. The information overload that occurred at the beginning of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine negatively affected Ukrainian citizens’ ability to perceive information critically. However, by adapting to life in new conditions and restoring the ability to think critically, citizens continued their professional activities at a qualitatively new level. Exploring the potential of using social media for political manipulation and propaganda requires further in-depth study and analysis and can serve as a basis for political or psychological research in modern society.