Methods for Enhancing Audience Media Literacy Through News Content on Social Networks

Vitalii Hontar

Scirj Volume XIV, Issue I, January 2026 Edition

Methods for Enhancing Audience Media Literacy Through News Content on Social Networks

Authors: Vitalii Hontar

Abstract: This article focuses on identifying and evaluating effective methods for enhancing audience media literacy through news content distributed on social networks. The aim of the study is to synthesize recent empirical findings from experimental and field research on interventions that improve users ability to evaluate, verify, and contextualize online information. This paper pulls together evidence from several areas — inoculation games, accuracy prompts, verification training, and social correction cues — and looks at how they connect to real journalism practice and scalable media design. It is based on a comparative reading of thirteen peer-reviewed studies and some close observation of creator-led news ecosystems. The main results show that the strongest and most lasting gains in media literacy come from layered approaches, especially those that mix prebunking, accuracy nudges, and contextual verification right into the platforms people already use. Examples from practitioners show how simple choices — being open about sources, adding a bit of context, or showing where information comes from — can make media-literacy ideas tangible within digital news. The article should be helpful for educators, journalists, researchers, and platform designers who are looking for practical, reality-tested ways to help audiences stay curious, think critically, and be less easily swayed by misinformation.

Reference: Vitalii Hontar (2025). Methods for Enhancing Audience Media Literacy Through News Content on Social Networks. Scirj, Volume XIV, Issue I, January 2026 Edition, Page 1-11.