The relationship between media literacy and a sense of social belonging and increased civic participation (Case study of 18-29-year-old youth in Isfahan)

Media literacy is recognized as one of the vital skills for living in contemporary society. This concept refers to the ability of individuals to analyze, evaluate, and create media content and directly affects social relationships and individual emotions. In this text, we will examine the relationship between media literacy and a sense of social belonging and its role in increasing civic participation.

This survey research was conducted through convenience sampling method among 340 young people aged 18-29 in Isfahan. Data analysis was performed using SPSS23 and Amos23 software.

Media literacy has achieved an average score among the selected subjects, with higher scores in the following areas: identifying social influences, using media, producing content, analyzing content, and evaluating.The sense of social belonging, including the average score and its dimensions, was: social support, social interactions, and sense of group identity. The civic participation score was also average. Also, the relationship between the media literacy variable and the sense of social belonging and increased civic participation was significant. In examining the contextual variables, no relationship was found between age and media literacy, nor was there a mean difference in terms of gender, level of education, and marital status with media literacy. Also, in the structural equation model study, the effect of media literacy on civic participation and sense of social belonging was found to be significant.