Media literacy in EU countries in the context of developing participatory citizenship awareness

After the 21st century, especially with the technological developments, as the limitations are disappeared, media has become more difficult to control globally. This situation has led the media to easily guide the masses and to become an irresistible force. The media, which play a main role in providing information flow, has gradually become a tool for spreading capitalism. With this transformation, information that is circulating without questioning reality or accuracy on a global scale has made individuals vulnerable. Therefore, critical media literacy training has begun to come to the fore to raise individual awareness of media messages. With the critical media literacy education it is aimed to provide individuals with the ability to think critically and to make individuals aware of media messages. In addition, this training, which provides significant contributions to the development of participatory citizenship awareness, also encourages active citizenship. This study, which sees media literacy education as the most important educational opportunity in the age of information and communication, has mentioned the media education in the Member States of the European Union and has investigated and discussed whether such education could be an alternative to the development of participatory citizenship consciousness or not. In the research section of the study, media literacy frameworks have been examined by evaluating the media literacy curriculum of 12 Member States (Finland, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Portugal, Greece, Spain) selected as samples from the European Union member states. Basically, in this study of the role of media literacy in providing participatory citizenship the media education curriculum and projects of the selected EU countries are examined by means of descriptive analysis and an assessment is performed.