THE IMPACT OF MEDIA LITERACY ON ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

In a time when media, advertising, and public relations are all converging, media literacy has  become a crucial indicator of effective communication and audience engagement. By  examining people's perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors in response to persuasive  communication, this study seeks to understand how media literacy affects advertising and  public relations.  

The study used a mixed-methods approach and recruited 300 participants for a quantitative  survey while holding 12 focus group discussions (FGDs) to gather qualitative information.  While theme analysis was performed on the FGDs, descriptive statistics were used to  evaluate the survey data. The sample included people from a variety of demographic  backgrounds, ensuring a thorough understanding of the study's goals. The survey's findings  revealed a range of attitudes about advertisements, with the majority exhibiting favorable  attitudes and a willingness to interact. 

The focus group discussions gave complexity to these findings by demonstrating the complex  processes impacting participants' opinions, even while dissatisfaction with commercials was  indicated at various frequencies. It should be noted that media literacy has become a  significant factor in determining attitudes, permitting selective engagement, and building  resistance to manipulative tactics. The study also found a significant link between media  literacy and purchase intent, with participants attributing their media literacy to better  decision-making and greater faith in commercials.  
Similarly, it has been discovered that media literacy influences public relations engagement  patterns by enabling people to assess the veracity of communication initiatives, particularly in  times of crisis. Overall, this study advances our knowledge of how media literacy fits into the  changing world of persuasive communication. The mixed-methods approach allows a  comprehensive assessment of the effects of media literacy on advertising and public relations  by merging quantitative and qualitative findings. This study emphasizes the necessity of  media literacy as a critical ability for navigating the complex media environment and  successfully engaging with persuasive messages as media continues to affect perceptions and  behaviours.