IP/09/1244 Brussels, 20 August 2009 Commission sets new information society challenge: Becoming literate in new media The way we use media is changing, the volume of information enormous, demanding more of us than being able to read, write or use a computer. The European Commission today warned that Europeans young and old could miss out on the benefits of today's high-tech information society unless more is done to make them 'media literate' enough to access, analyse and evaluate images, sounds and texts and use traditional and new media to communicate and create media content. The Commission said EU countries and the media industry need to increase awareness of the many media messages people encounter, be they advertisements, movies or online content. "Interacting with the media now means a lot more than writing to a newspaper. Media, especially new digital technologies, involve more Europeans in a world of sharing, interaction and creation. Consumers today can create their own content and make new works by transforming third party content," said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. "However, people who cannot use new media like social networks or digital TV will find it hard to interact with and take part in the world around them. We must make sure everyone is media literate so nobody is left out. Citizens are being talked to all the time, but can they talk back? If they can use the media in a competent and creative way we would take a step towards a new generation of democratic participation." To participate in today's information society, people need to understand how the various media (old and new) work. This is why the European Commission today adopted (following a call from the European Parliament) policy guidelines calling on EU countries and industry to promote media literacy across Europe through activities that help people access, understand and critically evaluate all media they are exposed to, like TV and film, radio, music, print media, the internet and digital communication technologies. Media literacy training could improve the way citizens use search engines, show school children how a film is made or how advertising works. In some countries (for example Sweden, Ireland, UK) media literacy is already part of the school curriculum. The UK's kidSMAR T website teaches young people how to use social networking sites safely. Education is a national competence, but the Commission today invited EU countries to open a debate on how to give media literacy a prominent place in schools. People using media need to be aware of the risks connected to the spread of their personal data. The more skilled they are in using these technologies, and the more savvy they are about how online advertising works, the better they can protect their privacy. People who are more media literate will also be more curious about and explore their cultural heritage and recent European cultural works. The Commission's "Digital Europe" report, released earlier this month (IP/09/1221) shows that Europeans are becoming more skilful internet and computers users, with 60% "digitally literate", an essential aspect of media literacy. 56% of all Europeans go online at least once a week (compared to 43% in 2005) and more people in disadvantaged groups are using the net (see annex). More people with lower educational levels go online (from 53.5% in 2005 to 62.5% in 2008, where 100% is the overall population's internet use). More unemployed people use the web (up from 74.4% in 2005 to 80.3 % in 2008), and women's internet use is now almost the same as the EU's overall population (growing from.88.4% in 2005 to 94.6% in 2008). The computer and internet skills of women, the unemployed and over-55s have grown by at least 3% compared to the overall population since 2006. However, even though internet, especially broadband, connections are becoming more affordable, 24% of Europeans without internet at home said this is because they lack the necessary skills to use it. Background Media literacy is the ability to access , understand and critically evaluate different aspects of the media and media content and communicate in a variety of contexts. It relates to all media, including television and film, radio and recorded music, print media, the internet and all other digital technologies. In 2007, the Commission issued a Communication on media literacy ( IP/07/1970 ) as part of its overall efforts to build a Single Market for the audiovisual sector, which also includes the Audiovisual Media Services Directive ( MEMO/08/803 ) providing cross border rules on areas like advertising, and the MEDIA 2007 support programme for European cinema ( IP/07/169 ). The Commission also promotes media literacy through film literacy projects under its MEDIA International preparatory action . This initiative encourages actions to educate and raise awareness, especially of the young generation, about cinematographic and audiovisual works of third countries and vice versa. Today's Commission Recommendation on media literacy can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/media_literacy/index_en.htm Europe's digital competitiveness report can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/i2010 Annex Europe's most active Internet users live in Scandinavia; Strongest Growth in Ireland Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSEDSource: Eurostat Community Survey on ICT Usage by Households and by Individuals 24% of the unconnected say they are not online because they do not know how to use the web Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSED Source: Eurostat Community Survey on ICT Usage by Households and by Individuals Computer and internet skills development in the EU from 2005 to 2007 Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSED Source: Commission study, Digital Literacy Review - Public policies and stakeholders initiatives in support of Digital Literacy Index composition: No skills = 0 of 6 skills performed, low level of skills = 1-2 of 6 skills performed, medium or high level of skills = 3-6 of 6 skills performed. The 6 skills looked at are the following: a) Copying or moving a file or folder b) Using copy and paste tools to duplicate or move information within a document c) Using basic arithmetic formulas in a spreadsheet d) Compressing (or zipping) files e) Connecting and installing new devices, e.g. a printer or a modem f) Writing a computer program using a specialised programming language Related to questions E3 for computer skills and E4 for internet skills in the Eurostat Community Survey on ICT usage in Households and by Individuals. See annex 1 and 2 for exact data and breakdowns. Note that index skill questions regarding computer skills differed in 2005 with the simple item related to the ability to use a mouse to open programs being substituted with the somewhat more demanding item related to the ability to connect and install new devices such as a printer or a modem. Percentages of all individuals aged 16-74. Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSED Source: Eurostat Community Survey on ICT Usage by Households and by Individuals Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSED Source: Eurostat Community Survey on ICT Usage by Households and by Individuals