Review of Media Role in Improving Media Literacy to Realize Knowledge-Based Society

Taking into consideration the trend of developments in the world and transition from the information society era to a knowledge-based society era, strengthening of media literacy of the audience is among prerequisites of achievement of a knowledge-based society.The knowledge-based society calls for an everlasting educational program for the citizens. Facilitating all citizen's access to the needed education, investment in production and propagation of knowledge and increase in media literacy level of the society is a determining strategy for moving in on the path of development based on knowledge. An everlasting educational program in a knowledge-based society means understanding adults’ learning mechanisms has gained importance and that facilitating and promoting education during life should be thought about. Education from traditional point of view used to be defined as ‘acquiring knowledge'. Today, the definition of the term has evolved to mean 'acquiring necessary skills to be able to function as a member of the society, to produce knowledge and to develop cognitive abilities'. Accordingly, education is a major process in a knowledge-based society. Information technology has provided new tools and equipment to facilitate education. In order to understand new opportunities, we need to study new educational patterns and technical plans to provide for the education. The term 'learning societie's indicates a new type of society in which the time- and place- related limitations of the past in acquiring education no longer apply. One of the responsibilities of a learning society is to rethink and re-evaluate itself in the light of discoveries, social actions hidden in production and transfer of knowledge, education, public propagation of knowledge, or in other words, the educational role of media and promotion of media literacy level of users in learning societies. By using survey methodology, this paper has reviewed the importance of employing potentials and functions of media in promotion of media literacy to achieve knowledge-based society.