Media literacy challenges to debates on civic rights

Abstract

The concept of media literacy addresses the potential of contemporary societies to resist the negative effects of such phenomena as diminishing public trust and severely polarized politics. Traditional and modern internet-based media affect citizens’ daily lives, politics and society. Although social media encourage individuals to express their opinions, share content and communicate in a personalized way, these are often open to manipulation and hamper the public debates on substantial civic issues. Using PEST analysis that examines political (P), economic (E), social (S), and technological (T), practices, the text investigates these areas in the Bulgarian media ecosystem. Based on the indicators for media freedom, education and peoples’ trust, the Media Literacy Index assesses the abilities of prosumers (i.e. individuals who both produce and consume content) in 35 European countries to resist fake news. Levels of integrity, as well as distrust in scientists and journalists are related to media literacy about connecting practices with concepts and arguments in media debates on civic rights and democracy in three interrelated case studies in Bulgaria: the social protests (2013- 2020), the COVID-19 epidemic and the April 2021 Parliamentary pre-election campaign.