ENHANCING KEY COMPETENCIES FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF MEDIA LITERACY

Abstract

Continuous development of knowledge, skills, and abilities that lead to the enhancement of media literacy results in an adequate perception of media discourse, the development of critical thinking, and significantly greater safety, especially in the virtual environment. This represents an indispensable resource that provides both individuals and society as a whole with the necessary knowledge and skills to identify, understand, and evaluate media content, thereby creating a platform for the participatory exercise of one of the fundamental human rights. In the contemporary era, educational institutions, from primary education to doctoral studies, should be recognized for their educational and practically applicable role in designing, creating, implementing, and evaluating media literacy educational programs. Such an approach, in subsequent iterations, implies their broader contextual and programmatic transformation to become more sensitive and flexible in response to the rapid changes in the media industry. Within this context, a primary study was conducted to examine how and to what extent students have developed key competencies during their higher education, how these competencies contribute to the development of media literacy, and how they can be improved and integrated into curricula. The research sample was purposively selected and consisted of students from two private universities in the Republic of Serbia (n=185). Data were collected from December 2025 to February 2026. The study established the importance of media literacy and critical thinking for accessing, analyzing, and evaluating media content in various contexts. It was demonstrated that media literacy is closely linked to the development of critical thinking, digital literacy, and ethical responsibility, and that the lack of development of key competencies can lead to uncritical acceptance of disseminated information and manipulation of public opinion.