Young People and Social Cohesion: Shaping Media Literacy in Postdigital Societies

The impact of public communication media on social cohesion is multifaceted, pri-marily by facilitating the visibility, accessibility, and openness to dialogue of society itself. Social media, in particular, has been instrumental in enabling widespread par-ticipation of individuals and organisations in public discourse, thereby enriching the diversity of opinions expressed. However, concomitantly, these platforms have also given rise to socio-technical environments that foster the networking of anti-democratic actors and the propagation of disinformation and uncivil communication. The profound shifts in social participation engendered by social media have precipitated a dynamic shift in socialisation authority, particularly among younger people. This transformation is substantiated by the theory of post-digitality and articulated in the context of the concept of social cohesion. The article employs the German con-ception of media competence to advocate for a more expansive interpretation of me-dia literacy.