By reason of the complex nature of media literacy, and in order to establish the criteria by which it could be measured, a conceptual map had to be created. This would determine the dimensions of media literacy, their component parts, the factors which indicate them, and the indicators themselves. This conceptual map became the Framework, [...]

Availability refers to the type of media and tools an individual can access in any given context and how they are socially distributed. The assessment requires a description of the Media Availability situation in every country.  

Environmental Factors provide an insight into the media literacy environment. If the factors are favourable, and media literacy has an important and considered position in national policy, it follows that media literacy levels will be high. This relationship can be demonstrated statistically, and does not exclude the possibility that, in environments largely hostile or neutral [...]

These are the operative abilities required to access and effectively use media communication tools. They specifically refer to devices and tools available in a certain context or environment. The Use Criteria rely on the individual’s ability to use media platforms. Technical skills are necessarily a prerequisite to use. They are developed by the individual to [...]

Critical Understanding is the most important aspect of the relationship between the individual and the media. How the individual interacts with the media is dictated by their Critical Understanding of both the content and its context. In order to understand and utilise the content, the user decodes it to make sense of its message. These [...]

This Factor is the capacity of individuals to make and maintain contact with others via the media. This includes basic communication, such as e-government services, to participation with online groups in collaborative work towards a common objective. This study subdivides Communicative Abilities into different Components: a)  Social relations; b) Citizen participation; and c)  Content creation. [...]