Design and evaluate a social media campaign to promote media literacy skills among young adults

Thesis Abstract

The proliferation of digital media platforms has significantly transformed information dissemination, necessitating enhanced media literacy skills among young adults to navigate the complex media landscape effectively. Despite the critical importance of media literacy in fostering informed and critical media consumers, there remains a substantial gap in targeted, scalable interventions that leverage social media to promote these skills within this demographic. This study aims to design, implement, and evaluate a social media campaign intended to improve media literacy among young adults aged 18 to 25. The specific objectives are to develop a theoretically grounded content strategy, assess the campaign’s reach and engagement, and measure its impact on participants' media literacy levels. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, the study combines quantitative pre- and post-intervention surveys with qualitative focus group discussions. The population comprises university students enrolled at a major metropolitan university, with a sample size of 300 participants recruited through stratified random sampling to ensure diversity across gender, academic disciplines, and media usage patterns. Quantitative data were collected through structured questionnaires adapted from established media literacy assessment tools, ensuring content validity, while qualitative insights were gathered from focus groups to contextualize quantitative findings and understand participants' perceptions of the campaign. The campaign's development was guided by the Media Dependency Theory and the Uses and Gratifications Theory, enabling a strategic design tailored to enhance media critical skills and motivate active engagement. Data analysis involved descriptive statistical techniques to evaluate campaign reach and engagement metrics, paired t-tests to assess changes in media literacy scores, and multiple regression analysis to identify predictors of media literacy improvement. Thematic analysis was employed to interpret focus group data, providing nuanced insights into user experiences and perceptions. Expected findings suggest that the social media campaign will significantly increase media literacy levels among participants, with higher engagement correlating positively with improvements in critical media analysis, source evaluation, and misinformation recognition. It is anticipated that active engagement with targeted content will foster greater media skepticism and analytical skills, thereby reducing susceptibility to misinformation. These findings are projected to fill existing gaps in empirical knowledge regarding the efficacy of social media-based interventions in media literacy promotion and to demonstrate the potential of digital platforms for scalable educational initiatives. The study contributes to academic discourse by integrating theoretical insights with practical campaign strategies and providing evidence-based recommendations for media practitioners, educators, and policymakers seeking to combat misinformation and enhance digital literacy skills. It advances understanding of the mechanisms through which social media campaigns can influence media competency among young adults and offers methodological guidelines for future research in media literacy interventions. In conclusion, the research underscores the importance of theoretically informed, multimedia strategies to foster critical engagement with media content. Recommendations include adopting a sustained, multi-platform approach, integrating interactive elements to enhance user participation, and developing tailored content for diverse subgroups within the young adult population. Further studies are suggested to explore longitudinal effects, replicate findings across different sociocultural contexts, and investigate the role of emerging social media trends in media literacy education. Overall, this study affirms the vital role of innovative social media campaigns in equipping young adults with essential media literacy skills critical to their participation in informed digital citizenship.