Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think Critically, Click Wisely!

The proliferation of information widely increased in the digital age. Thanks to the internet and social media, the public has also become a subject of information. The mere necessity to understand whether a piece of information is accurate and the responsibility not to disseminate false information requires one to adopt brand-new skills. Developing these skills is even more crucial, especially during times of crisis, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, when unverified claims, false rumors, misleading rhetoric, and disinformative content often spread by interest groups quickly become widespread.

Media and information competencies involve skills that help us understand the nature of information flow in a digital environment and facilitate distinguishing what is accurate from what is false. Beyond the accuracy of information, these competencies also raise awareness about discriminative expressions and hate speech, which perpetuate social inequalities, especially those based on gender. They guide us in decoding how digital advertising and artificial intelligence work, giving us clues to protect our personal information better. They sharpen our critical thinking and ensure we filter online discourses conscientiously. Last but not least, they smoothen intercultural dialogue. 

UNESCO has identified media and information literacy as a key concept in a continuously evolving and rapidly mutating digital world. This comprehensive curriculum on media and information literacy competencies for students and adults is the fruit of a long-running and extensive work. Think Critically, Click Wisely! is more than a guide containing basic definitions; it is an education curriculum that combines pedagogical and methodological tools required to provide media and information literacy training.

The curriculum, translated into Turkish by P24, contains invaluable pedagogical content for educators and citizens on developing media and information competencies.

You can click this link to access, read, and download the Turkish translation of the curriculum on UNESCO’s digital library.

To access the original English version of the curriculum, please click this link.

First Edition: 2022.