The Academic Meeting on Media Literacy, organized by the Iberian Observatory of Digital Media, IBERIFIER, took place this Wednesday, September 10, in Madrid, bringing together researchers and specialists to reflect on the challenges posed by disinformation and the crucial role of media literacy in contemporary society.
Vítor Tomé, researcher at ISCTE – Lisbon, stressed the need to prepare citizens for continuous and autonomous learning. “We must prepare people to think and to learn on their own throughout life,” he said, underscoring that media literacy must be constantly updated. “A course on Artificial Intelligence today will not be the same in a few years. Media literacy is much more than just studying disinformation,” he added.
Charo Sádaba, Professor at the University of Navarra, agreed with this perspective but emphasized that, in recent years, it was precisely disinformation that drove the urgency of strengthening media literacy. According to Sádaba, this competence is essential to better understand the technological environment in which we live: “Not everyone who scrolls through a social media feed realizes it is not a free choice, but rather the result of algorithms, recommendations, and other mechanisms. This remains hidden to many,” she explained.
Both Vítor Tomé and Charo Sádaba took part in the closing panel of the event, moderated by Sergio Hernandez, head of EFE Verifica. Researchers from several universities, including the University of Huelva, Rey Juan Carlos University, and the University of the Basque Country, also presented their findings and shared experiences. The meeting opened with presentations by Franco Panciera, Head of Institutional Relations at the European Parliament Office in Spain, and Ramón Salaverría, Professor at the University of Navarra and coordinator of IBERIFIER.
A space for academic reflection
Held at the European Parliament Office in Spain and streamed online through IBERIFIER’s YouTube channel, the meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on research in media literacy being carried out across Spanish universities, while also showcasing citizen awareness projects currently underway.
