Evaluation of secondary school students' social media use in the context of critical literacy

Social media is a virtual environment where individuals come together and share content in digital environments. It has become a source of communication and access to information, and it's essential to be consciously social media literate to accurately evaluate the information and images circulating on social media. A social media user's ability to understand whether all information and content they encounter is accurate, to recognize its positive and negative aspects, and to evaluate whether it is biased or unbiased depends on having a critical perspective. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate middle school students' social media use within the context of critical literacy and to offer suggestions for becoming consciously social media literate. Using phenomenological research designs, the research process interviewed 80 students in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades at a middle school in the province of Gaziantep. A semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher was used as the data collection tool. The research found that applications that include visual and audio elements are more preferred by middle school students. Students spend at least one hour a day on social media, often have multiple accounts, and primarily use social media for entertainment and information. However, the findings indicated that they were less likely to verify the content they encountered, used social media as a tool for consumption rather than production, believed that social media negatively impacted their academic performance, and held a more negative view of social media influencers. Based on these findings, it was recommended that media literacy courses be made compulsory in middle schools, critical literacy training be provided, educational content be presented through social media applications, and access to cultural and sporting activities be facilitated to reduce the time spent on social media.