The role of school media education in protecting society from the encroachment of the media

Abstract

Contemporary media has imposed itself as an active partner in shaping the educational and cognitive environment to the point of dominance. This has imposed unprecedented challenges on schools, particularly in light of the ongoing and accelerating technological development. Digitization and artificial intelligence have provided the media with complementary alternatives that serve as new tools to facilitate its encroachment and tighten its grip on educational, social, cultural, intellectual, economic, and political reality as a whole. Despite the magnitude of these threats, schools possess essential functions that can serve as a starting point on their journey to restore their mission and status. These functions are primarily represented by the fact that schools can play a protective role and provide a safety valve for the individual and society against the negative influences of contemporary media. This is achieved by incorporating media education into educational programs, seeking to develop and integrate media intelligence and awareness into the personality of Algerian individuals, and enhancing their skills in distinguishing between negative and positive, harmful and beneficial, and truthful and false information and data contained in various media messages. Hence, the study attempts to highlight the basic skills of school media education, while proposing a practical model project, in light of the most important international experiences and expertis.