Media Literacy and Forces of Change: Perspectives from the Arab World

This study focuses on gaining an understanding of how media literacy is conceptualized and operationalized in Arab countries, as a non-western perspective of the concept and practice of media literacy. Media literacy, as an essential concept relevant to dealing with the mass media, was developed in Western countries and a time when legacy media prevailed. Hence, gaining an understanding of how the concept is currently perceived locally in different Arab countries including Egypt, as well as how it is practiced, is an important endeavor. The study aims to glean whether media literacy has developed and whether its conceptualization and practice have caught up with the mandates of the technological advances, and the requirements of sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals. Through semi-structured, in-depth interviews (IDIs), the study aims to unravel the meaning of media literacy from the perspective of Egyptian media professionals, who currently work in the media and communication field. Additionally, a content analysis is conducted on media literacy Facebook pages that originated in Arab countries, and developed with an intentional focus on media literacy. The insights from media professionals, coupled with the analysis of the latent meanings of media literacy in Facebook will provide an understanding of how media literacy is perceived and whether it responds to the two forces of change: technological advancements and the sustainable development goals (SDGs).