Status of Senior Media Literacy in the Slovak Republic

Monika Hossová — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT:
According to the last population census in Slovakia (in 2021), senior citizens, or people over 65 years of age make up 17% of the total population of Slovakia. Despite this, we cannot consider seniors, or those of the age of 65 and older inactive or completely unproductive, considering that this is not only a consequence of the aging of the population, but to a large extent the growth of the average life expectancy of people in our society. Many seniors, or people in the post-productive age in this period of life still or occasionally work, maintain contact with family and acquaintances or even actively participate in civic life. In this regard, we therefore consider it important to pay attention to the level of media literacy of seniors who, more or less, use media and digital technologies in their lives and are thus exposed to their positive and negative effects. Although education in the field of media education mainly focuses on children and youth, it is necessary to realise that our society is created, shaped and decided by adults of productive and post-productive age. The goal of our study is therefore to map the current state of media literacy of Slovak seniors in the area of their user skills and communication skills related to the use of media and digital technologies, and their ability to critically understand. We therefore monitor the state of knowledge about the media and a critical view of them, the ability to critically analyse media content and the practical skills of seniors in relation to the media. The presented study reflects the results of quantitative research carried out on a representative sample of Slovak seniors using the questionnaire method. The result of the study is the relevant conclusions resulting from the empirical investigation and a summary of proposed recommendations for improving the current situation.

KEY WORDS:
abilities, knowledge, media education, media literacy, senior, senior population, skills

05. PROSTINAKOVA HOSSOVA – CT 2-2023 Download

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34135/communicationtoday.2023.Vol.14.No.2.5

Current Development Trends of Media Literacy in the European Union Countries

Monika Hossová — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 20:23:36 +0000

ABSTRACT:
The study deals with an investigation into the processes and projects related to the development of media education and media literacy education in the countries of the European Union. The study assesses media education activities in individual EU Member States in terms of various initiatives and projects and their primary focus. The aim of the study is to identify areas of media education and literacy to which European countries devote most attention. The authors aim to summarise and compare projects that have significantly contributed to media education development through their activities towards media education of citizens and improving media literacy in the EU. The text also focuses on extracurricular, non-formal education concentrated around activities and projects outside of the formal education system; those are mainly implemented by companies and non-profit organisations in order to involve selected groups of the population. In the text, the authors analyse secondary data and results of published researches and theoretical studies on the given topic. The introduction provides a brief description of formal, non-formal and informal education in terms of their goals and differences. The authors then characterise the areas of media education by categorising individual types of literacy (including media literacy, literacy involving critical analysis of media content, digital and information literacy, film literacy, news and reading literacy, Internet literacy and online safety, digital game literacy and media communication literacy). Existing initiatives in the EU countries are provided as examples in the identified areas and literacies. The given information is used to create a summary of the current media education activities and the dominant focal points of non-formal education initiatives in individual EU countries. The study thus offers an overview of the types of literacies and organisations actively contributing to the formation of a media literate EU population.

KEY WORDS:
areas of media education, European Union, film literacy, Internet literacy and online safety, media education, media literacy, news and reading literacy, non-formal education, digital game literacy and media communication literacy

04_Petranová_Hossová_Velický_CT-1-2017 Download

Monika Hossová – Communication Today

Status of Senior Media Literacy in the Slovak Republic

Current Development Trends of Media Literacy in the European Union Countries