Preparing Youth With Media Literacy for Future Digital Civic Engagement

There are a wide variety of opportunities for youth to participate in digital space during and after the pandemic. The development of technology has evolved dramatically since the beginning and dictates the society we live in. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, factors like social distancing and quarantine at home have boosted digital media consumption across every screen. Therefore, media literacy education is playing an increasingly vital role in the current education system of many countries around the globe. The present study adopted mixed methods –internet-based survey, case study - to identify and address the barriers that limit certain young populations from taking an active part in online civic life. By recognizing these impediments, it aims to emphasize the importance to promote equal opportunities for all young people to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to participate in civic activities, regardless of their socioeconomic background and geographic location. 262 valid responses from youths aging from 15 to 29 responded to the online poll with Qualtrics. In addition, three real cases (including FightCOVID (Twitter@FightnV), Ndlovu Youth Choir, and Arayaa.com) were analyzed to investigate the forms of youth digital participation. This paper reveals that youth digital civic engagement is empowered by strong media literacy and skills. Finally, a practical multimodality design and pedagogical methods were proposed as a potential framework for media literacy education to support youths in further digital engagement in the post-COVID- 19 era.