Russia: Festim Rizanaj
In a time when most of the day is spent in front of a screen, whether through a phone, computer or social networks, human life has become more intertwined with media than ever before. This massive involvement has created a complex world, where media literacy is no longer an intellectual luxury, but a vital necessity. In its absence, we risk living in an era where illiteracy is not associated with the inability to read and write, but with the inability to understand and evaluate the information that surrounds us.
In Kosovo, this lack is becoming alarming. Despite technological developments and almost universal access to the internet – used by over 90 percent of people over 16 years old – media literacy has not yet taken its rightful place in the education system. The group most exposed to unlimited online content is young people, who, according to the PISA 2022 test, showed serious difficulties in distinguishing between fact and opinion. Kosovo also ranked penultimate out of 41 countries in the European Media Literacy Index 2023, demonstrating the huge gaps in preparing generations for the digital age.
In the face of this digital illiteracy, the challenges are increasing. The failure to include media literacy as a compulsory subject is being strongly criticized, especially considering the new risks brought by the advancement of technology. There is a strong demand for media literacy to become a regular subject, not only because of the positive and negative effects of online and social media, but also because of the growing risk of artificial intelligence and other forms of digitalization. The ability to analyze and evaluate information objectively, which is cultivated by media literacy, is essential to combat disinformation in a world where technology is changing rapidly. Retaining media literacy solely as a cross-curricular issue, as the Ministry of Education (MASHTI) prefers, is insufficient to equip new generations with the necessary skills to cope with the wave of automatically generated content.
Institutionally, media education is treated as a secondary or supplementary program. MESTI has declared itself against establishing a separate subject, and critics point to a lack of political will to address the topic seriously. Furthermore, vital teacher training measures are mainly organized by non-governmental organizations, which are financially dependent on foreign donors, making the process unsustainable. This reality, together with the fact that schools in Kosovo have lagged far behind in terms of digitalization, shows that pre-university education still cultivates traditional and mechanical approaches.
Essentially, media literacy is not just about understanding how the media works. It is a tool for civic empowerment, for building independent thought, and for protecting against political and economic manipulation. In the age of artificial intelligence, where the real and the artificial are becoming increasingly intertwined, this skill is as important as literacy itself.
Therefore, it is time for MESTI to act with vision and determination. Media education should become a mandatory subject at all levels of education, be led by the state and not rely solely on donor initiatives. Only through such an approach can citizens be prepared who not only consume information, but also understand, challenge and transform it.
On the contrary, the new illiteracy of our time – the media illiteracy – will continue to produce societies that are exposed, insecure and easy to manipulate. In the age of artificial intelligence, being uninformed is no longer a problem; in a world that produces more data than meaning, the problem is not the lack of information – but the lack of critical thinking about it.