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Social Media Literacy

  • Aug 7
  • 5 min read

If you’ve seen our previous video post, we are 99.9% sure you’re a social media user! Last week, we interviewed some of our fellow medical students on their thoughts about staying mindful and aware when using social media. When asked whether “social media literacy” was necessary, they unanimously agreed on the importance of fact-checking and mental health awareness. But have you ever wondered what sets social media apart from other forms of media, and why it requires its own unique form of digital literacy? 


What sets social media apart?


Before exploring social media literacy, let’s first revisit the definition of  ‘media literacy’. In the early 2000s, media literacy meant ‘the ability to access, understand, and create communications in a variety of contexts.’ [1] At the time, information was mostly obtained from traditional mass media, where content displayed on television and websites were largely universal and unified amongst its audiences. In recent years, the growth of social media platforms meant that these sites had evolved from spaces for pure social interaction into primary sources of news and information as well [2]. Unlike other media forms, content creation on social media does not require formal mass media production knowledge [3]. Without this barrier, any user may spread information and create content to be seen by millions of users worldwide. This exponential increase in available content makes it impossible for users to review all its sources. In addition, most social media platforms employ algorithms to generate individual content ‘recommendations’ based on our following, preferences and use history [4].  This algorithm-generated content involves combinations of highly selective and filtered content that may be unique to us, posing increased danger of confirmation bias - choosing to interpret content partial to our existing beliefs and expectations [5]. This is why we need to develop skillsets specifically for social media use - namely ‘social media literacy’!


While there is no universal definition for social media literacy, we may try to make sense of it using the SoMeLit (Social Media Literacy) framework [6], which comprises two domains: content and competency. Each domain includes three dimensions, which are aspects that social media-literate users should be aware of, or be able to perform. These awareness and abilities help foster mindfulness targeted for social media use. Let’s take a closer look at each domain!


SoMeLit Framework - The content domain


This domain is centered around awareness, and encourages knowledge on the Self, Medium, and Reality. What do each of these mean?


First, ‘the Self’ encourages us to know ourselves better, and know that algorithms generate content specifically targeted towards us. Unlike television or websites, whatever choices we make on social media eventually affects what is later shown to us. The awareness of this ‘mutual causation’ is a major difference between social media literacy and traditional mass media literacy.


Next, ’the Medium’ invites us to question the accuracy of information obtained from social media. Most platforms do not have protocols in place to govern fact-checking, nor do they require sources or references. If we were to search for health information only on social media for example, ‘the Medium’ reminds us to consider whether these  sites are reliable, and how accurate the information is.


Finally, ‘the Reality’ promotes deeper reflection on how we determine what is real, and what affects our perception of reality - not just knowing how manufactured social media content may be, but also by realising posts that trigger strong emotions or nostalgia may impair our judgement of reality.


SoMeLit Framework - The competency domain


This domain is skill-based, comprising three dimensions: Analysis, Evaluation and Contribution. Let's dive deeper into what each skill requires: 


Analysis is the skill to fully analyse not just our content, but also our own behaviour on social media. A competent analysis goes beyond reviewing content itself, and extends to analyse what types of content we usually see, how frequently we scroll, or which apps we stay on the longest. Being more aware of how we are shaping the content that is tailored to us.


Evaluation is the ability to understand how diverse and variable ‘reality’ may be on social media. We need to be able to criticise and fact-check content we see, and also not be fazed by strong emotions or shock value, which may affect our evaluation of what is real.


Contribution is important, because we ourselves, just like anyone else, have the freedom of posting messages or creating content on social media. It refers to the capacity to create and share messages to help the community. For instance, we may choose to only repost well-sourced reliable content, or comment under an artificial video to warn other viewers of heavy AI use. These actions further strengthen our awareness and competencies, and help us do good for the online environment.


Social Media Literacy and Our Wellbeing:


In our everyday social media use, the SoMeLit framework not only helps us fact-check information, but also protects our mental wellbeing too - in addition to questioning the content we see, it allows us to further reflect on how we absorb it, and how much of it should be absorbed. If we are unaware that our feed is highly curated and selective, we may feel inferior to an idealised version of ‘reality’ that is actually heavily filtered, fostering feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem [7]. As well-resilient beings, perhaps the SoMeLit framework may be a good approach to adapt to the stress and uncertainties we encounter when scrolling. By understanding content and practising our competencies, we may work towards enjoying a healthier, more mindful digital experience!


It may seem abstract and challenging to understand SoMeLit, but by reading till this point you’ve already started to gather awareness on being a literate social media user - you deserve a cookie from 小編! 🍪 (and not the internet ones! :) ) Whilst staying tuned for our upcoming posts, do remember to stay safe and mindful when scrolling~


References

[1] The Office of Communications (Ofcom). (2004, November 2). Ofcom’s Strategy and Priorities for the Promotion of Media Literacy - A statement. 

[2] Cuenca, C. S., & Pérez , N. E. (2025, May 27). The role of social media as a source of information and perception of insecurity - European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research: Volume 31. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10610-025-09628-x

[3] Polanco-Levicán, K., & Salvo-Garrido, S. (2022, July 20). Understanding Social Media Literacy: A systematic review of the concept and its competences. International journal of environmental research and public health. 

[4] Plettenberg, N., Nakayama, J., Belavadi, P., Halbach, P., Burbach, L., Valdez, A. C., & Ziefle, M. (2020, July 10). User behavior and awareness of filter bubbles in social media. SpringerLink. 

chrome://downloads/978-3-030-49907-5_6.pdf

[5] Nickerson, R. S. (1998, June). Confirmation bias: A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises. Review of General Psychology: Volume 2, Issue 2.

[6] Cho, H., Cannon, J., Lopez, R., & Li, W. (2022, January 16). Social Media Literacy: A conceptual framework. New Media and Society: Volume 26 Issue 2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448211068530

[7] Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Roberts, L. R., & Eckles, K. (2014). Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 3(4), 206–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000047

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