What is “critical media literacy”?
According to the Critical Media Project (2017), critical media literacy is about “examining representations, systems, structures, ideologies, and power dynamics that shape and reproduce culture and society.” At the heart of critical media literacy is the need to ask ourselves careful and important questions about the media we are consuming. The purpose of this infosheet is to help students reflect on what they are reading, listening to, and seeing; encourage them to ask important questions about the content they consume; and draw the connection between engaging with media critically and supporting mental health.
Whether we are scrolling on TikTok or Instagram, reading an article on a news site, or even reviewing a chapter in a textbook, critical media literacy encourages us to ask1:
- Who has the power to create and distribute pieces of media?
- Who wrote, filmed or made this? Who published or posted this?
- What power do audience members have in their interpretation of media messages?
- What is my role as a viewer or reader of this piece of media? Do I understand its messages, both obvious and hidden? Am I being asked to share or repost it?
- How does the media influence gender, race, class, sexuality, religion, age, ability, and other identities are perceived in broader society?
- How do all the things we see, read or hear impact our understanding of ourselves and others?
We can also ask:
- Whose voices, perspectives, and experiences are missing?
Why is critical media literacy important?
Not only do we have so much information at our fingertips, many of us also spend a lot of time online. Even though many of us are comfortable using technology – it doesn’t mean we are good at distinguishing between real and false information and between news and advertisements. Critical media literacy gives us the tools to go behind the words, pictures, and videos we are shown and understand what the deeper meaning and messages might be.
The Critical Media Project (2017) gives a helpful overview on why we must look closely at even the most reputable sources:
- All media messages are ‘constructed’ (there is no such thing as “unbiased media”)
- Different people experience the same media message differently
- Media have embedded values and points of view
- Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power
CALL OUT BOX: Media bias is “when media outlets show an inclination towards a particular position or conclusion.” 2
How does critical media literacy impact my mental health?
Research suggests that education around how to engage with and consume media with a critical lens has shown to be a protective factor that can help people be less susceptible to harmful messages that lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and eating disorders3. Being able to uncover and decipher what subtle and covert messages you are getting from social media and outlets is an important step in guarding against their potential harmful impacts.
Common Thinking Traps
“Common thinking traps” often come up around social media use and can be harmful to our mental health. Thinking traps are “exaggerated or irrational negative thought patterns, [that] can lead us to believe things that aren’t necessarily true”4. Creating awareness and resisting common thinking traps are one tool to help maintain mental health and wellbeing while online.
The Center for Digital Thriving (2024) outlines some common thinking traps in the table below:
| The Thought | The Trap |
| “My friend didn’t respond to my text so she must be mad at me.” | MIND READING: When you assume you know what someone else is thinking or feeling. |
| “If my photo doesn’t get a lot of likes, it means I’m a failure.” | LABELING: When you use negative labels for yourself. |
| “Everyone I follow is happier than me.” | ALL OR NOTHING THINKING: When you make big generalizations. (Words: All, Always, Never, Nobody, Everybody, etc.) |
| “I get distracted by my phone because I don’t have any self-control.” | PERSONALIZING: When you put the blame on yourself. |
| “I can’t stop thinking about that one negative comment.” | NEGATIVE FILTER: When you focus only on the negatives. |
| “I sent a text when angry and now my friend will never talk to me again. | FORTUNE-TELLING: When you assume you know what will happen, it’s going to be bad! |
| “I shouldn’t care how many likes I get.” | SHOULDS: When you think about what you “should” (or shouldn’t) do or be like. |
Practicing critical media literacy
Questions to ask yourself
The Center for Media Literacy has five key questions they recommend media consumers ask themselves as they analyze a piece of media:
- Who created this message?
- What creative techniques are used to attract my attention? (for example, clickbait titles, shocking images)
- How might other people understand this message differently from me?
- What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
- Why was this message sent/created?
Before you share (with friends, family, on social media, etc.)5
- Pause – are you feeling an urgency to share or repost? Take a beat before you share.
- Question the source – where did this come from? What sources are they citing (and do these sources agree with what is being said?)?
- Gather information from a variety of sources – check another website, look at other sources to verify the information.
CALL OUT BOX: Misinformation vs. disinformation
“Misinformation is false or inaccurate information—getting the facts wrong. Disinformation is false information which is deliberately intended to mislead—intentionally misstating the facts.”6 For example, if a classmate shares a rumor with you that a deadline for an assignment is being extended, that might be misinformation. Disinformation is malicious, and its purpose is often to exploit or profit from the people who read or consume it. For example, an Instagram account that posts about a new supplement that they are selling which they claim treats depression.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more sophisticated and pervasive, it is a daily challenge trying to decipher what is real and what is AI. Media Literacy Now (n.d.)7 suggests the following three tips for using and interacting with AI:
- Understand how AI tools are developed and function.
- Observe and understand how AI is impacting the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals and larger systems (economy, environment).
- Use AI tools safely, ethically, and effectively through understanding tools’ abilities, limitations, benefits, and risks.
CALL OUT BOX: For more information on AI media literacy, see the Further reading section below.
Click restraint
Using tools like Google or other search engines is a great way to find information. But automatically clicking the first search result isn’t always the best way to find accurate or reputable information. As search engines look for ways to monetize their service, users are seeing more and more sponsored results coming up at the top of the page. Advocates for critical media literacy recommend using “click restraint” to avoid being duped by advertisements that look like search results. Click restraint is “resisting the urge to immediately click on the first search result”8.
Evaluating the credibility of academic articles and scientific studies
It’s one thing to evaluate a news article or Instagram post using a critical lens but how do we evaluate complex works such as academic articles and scientific studies? Buried within pages and pages of methodology, discussion, and results are important messages that need to be carefully uncovered. Purdue Owl has the following suggestions for evaluating the credibility of academic articles and scientific studies9:
- Does the author have credentials?
- Is the text peer-reviewed?
- Is there a reference list or Works Cited page?
- Is the language used objective or emotional?
CALL OUT BOX: For more on evaluating scholarly sources, see the further reading section.
Further reading
Media Literacies – Critical Media Project
The Critical Role of Media Literacy in Health Education: A research and evidence review
How to teach students critical thinking skills to combat misinformation online
What’s at Stake | Civic Online Reasoning
Advocacy Toolkit for Parents & Individuals | Media Literacy Now
AI Literacy and Media Literacy: You Can’t Have One Without the Other
CICMH Social Media and Cellphone Addiction Infosheet
CASP Checklists – Critical Appraisal Skills Programme
References
1. Critical Media Project. Media Literacies [Internet]. 2017. Available from: https://criticalmediaproject.org/media-literacies/
2. Ohio Wesleyan University. News Literacy [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://library.owu.edu/c.php?g=926696&p=6676875
3. Sobel, T. The Critical Role of Media Literacy in Health Education [Internet]. Watertown, MA: Media Literacy Now; 2023. Available from: https://medialiteracynow.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/The-Critical-Role-of-Media-Literacy-in-Health-Education-A-research-and-evidence-review-.pdf
4. Center for Digital Thriving. Thinking Traps [Internet]. 2024. Available from: https://digitalthriving.gse.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/THINKING-TRAPS-GLOSSARY.pdf
5. UNESCO. AI can make mistakes: Why media literacy matter more than ever [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/ai-can-make-mistakes-why-media-literacy-matters-more-ever
6. American Psychological Association. Misinformation and disinformation [Internet]. Available from: https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/misinformation-disinformation
7. Baker, B. AI Literacy and Media Literacy: You Can’t Have One Without the Other [Internet]. Media Literacy Now. Available from: https://medialiteracynow.org/ai-literacy-and-media-literacy-you-cant-have-one-without-the-other/
8. Civic Online Reasoning. Click Restraint [Internet]. Available from: https://cor.inquirygroup.org/curriculum/lessons/click-restraint/
9. Purdue University. Evaluating Sources: General Guidelines [Internet]. Available from: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/evaluating_sources_of_information/general_guidelines.html
