Media literacy and its impact on new governance in the age of post modern state

Today in the era of postmodern state we have witnessed new ways of governance in developed societies which have transformed the relationships between masses and states in the field of civil society and have changed state’ functions dramatically. Such new way have been embodied in the key concept of “good governance” which is one of the main criteria for the distinction of modern political societies from modern and premodern ones. Without a doubt the media as one of the most important active organs in civil society that has a firm relationship with both citizens and political leaders, plays a key role in the process of new governance. This article pose this main question that what effect does media literacy have on new governance and to do so, examines a causal relation between citizens’ media literacy (as independent variable) and the media’s functions (as dependent variable) and offers this hypothesis that if the media literacy of citizens increase, the possibility of the state’s instrumental use of the media will decrease, so the media can play its constructive role for implementing good governance.