Digital Literacy as a Catalyst for Critical Thinking

Meltem Özel is an Assistant Professor at Adiyaman University and also lectures in the Department of New Media and Communication at Ibn Haldun University. Her academic work spans various fields, including public diplomacy, media and information literacy, advertising, crisis communication, and corporate communication. She has contributed to numerous national and international publications, including journal articles, book chapters, and books. Her interest in media and information literacy grew through her involvement in several European projects, beginning with a seminar she delivered on News Media Literacy as part of the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange Project Developing Intelligent Generations in Technological Aspect Literacy in 2021. She later participated in the Anefore and ERYICA project Media and Information Literacy as a Tool to Better Respond to the New Normality in Luxembourg, and attended the Teacher Education in Digital and Media Literacy seminars organized by the Media & Learning Association in Belgium. She has also conducted workshops under TÜBITAK Science initiatives. Her most recent publication, Decoding the Green Narrative: Exploring the Interplay between Media Literacy and Consumer Perceptions of Greenwashing, highlights her ongoing research at the intersection of media literacy, sustainability, and critical consumer studies.