Media literacy is a medium to deliver messages. (F, Charles& Trilling, 2009) It is difficult to verify whether the information is accurate online. Therefore, the users of social media have to be able to distinguish if the sources of the messages are legitimate or misleading.

Media literacy is important because it can help the users improve their ability distinguishing information online more effectively and efficiently. For instance, Smith (2020) stated that reading magazines from both republicans and conservatives helped him gain relatively more objective views on politics.

Sometimes, media literacy is dismissed because many businesses only share the information they want to share to the public. It is misleading when users only have access to the positive side than the well rounded perspectives. This could result in significant losses for the users.

Aiming for varied views but factual consensus in PLN can round users perspective to be more objective. Being able to access different views can neutralize and shape users views, which can benefit them and avoid potential losses.

References:

Fadel,C., & Trilling,B. (2009). 21st Century Skills – Learning for Life In Our Times.

Smith, J. (2020). EDCI 338 A01- SMITH, JULIE. YouTube.