What Is Media Information Literacy?

As an English Language teacher and educator, I had the opurtunity to get involved in an EU funded project for youth at schools and with syrian refugees three years ago. That's when I found about the media information literacy thing. I thought, and to a certain extent, that I am somehow familiar with social media and the whole media stuff. Until then, I found out that I as well as many others my age, younger and even older, all were media illiterates at a certain level.

Later after that, after getting trained by international experts on this topic, I realised that the word literacy doesn't only mean knowing how to read and write. In the 21st century, it also means how to use all media forms in order to make sense of our fast-changing world which is media one of the factors causing this speedy change.

And here I quote what Ute Schaeffer, "the head of media development  in DW Akademie" wrote about this topic:

"Communication technology is developing rapidly throughout the world. Digital connections are improving and devices like smartphones are getting more powerful, affordable and easier to use by the day. All this opens up vast opportunities for people to communicate, engage in global conversations, and make their voices heard—even in developing societies. But in order to obtain access to this global wealth of information and participate actively in the conversation, people
need knowledge and skills. They need to know how and where to find reliable information and how to communicate safely and freely. They need to be media literate. This involves knowing where to find relevant information, how media shape popular culture and opinion and influence personal choices, and how to navigate the Internet and ensure personal privacy in the cyber world".