Adolescent Media Literacy in Social Media Utilization

Abstract

World communication media is now increasingly diversified and widespread, especially communication media connected to the internet such as social media. This phenomenon also occurs in Indonesia. Indonesia, as a developing country, is reported to have the majority of teenagers using social media. Teenagers will quickly be affected by negative impacts if they are not equipped with media literacy skills, especially considering the rapid flow of information circulating on social media. This research looks at the condition of digital literacy in rural Indonesia, namely Banyumas Regency, Sumbang District, and Gandatapa Village in Central Java Province. The Gandatapa Youth Village teenagers who took part in this research came from a variety of different backgrounds, both in their educational and economic levels. This research data was collected through focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews with key informants in Gandatapa Village, Sumbang District, Banyumas. Based on the findings, the young generation in Gandatapa Village has a high level of digital literacy. This is demonstrated by their ability to search for information according to what they want, the ability to analyze reference sources, and being able to evaluate whether the information is true or a hoax, as well as distributing content that suits their needs on social media.