Media literacy in older adults: case study smooc “Networks and realities. media literacy for seniors” (MELISE Project)

Downloads

Article abstract page views:  23  

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25267/Hachetetepe.2026.i32.1204

Info

No. 32 (2026): Preprint
Articles
1204
Published: 03-03-2026
PlumX
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Authors

Abstract

This article studies the effectiveness of the course (sMOOC) "Networks and Realities. Media Literacy for Seniors," developed through the European Project "Media Literacy for Senior European Citizens" (MELISE) aimed at older adults. Among other topics, the course addresses mistrust of the media, artificial intelligence, opinion formation, image and video manipulation, and the detection of fake news. This case study addresses—from a qualitative perspective—the development of media skills and digital inclusion among participating seniors. The information produced was obtained through content analysis of teaching materials, participation in virtual forums, and participant observation in face-to-face workshops. The results obtained show that sMOOCs promote critical understanding of digital media, improve autonomy in the use of social networks, and provide tools for identifying misinformation. It has been found that both initial support and peer learning are key factors for the success of this type of training program. The conclusions reveal the importance of media literacy as a digital inclusion strategy for older adults and the need to continue innovating through training programs

Keywords

Media literacy Google Schoolar
Older people Google Schoolar
sMOOCs Google Schoolar
Digital education Google Schoolar
Disinformation Google Schoolar

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

How to Cite

Cantillo Valero, C., Gil-Quintana, J., & Gutiérrez Ramirez, I. (2026). Media literacy in older adults: case study smooc “Networks and realities. media literacy for seniors” (MELISE Project) . Hachetetepé. Scientific Journal of Education and Communication, (32), 1204. https://doi.org/10.25267/Hachetetepe.2026.i32.1204

Author Biographies

Carmen Cantillo Valero, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

Carmen Cantillo Valero holds a PhD in Communication and Education UNED; Diploma in Social Education (UNED); Master's Degree in Communication and Education on the Web (UNED). Her lines of research within the SMEMIU group (UNED) focus on gender stereotypes, educommunication, media competence and gamification. He has developed extensive university teaching work in research methodology and digital education. A civil servant of the Junta de Andalucía, she has held different positions in the public administration related to training, human resources and innovation. Participates in research projects on gender, older adults, youth, social networks, etc.; She collaborates as an evaluator in scientific journals.

Javier Gil-Quintana, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

Javier Gil Quintana holds a PhD in Education and Communication (UNED), a PhD in Social and Legal Sciences (URJC), a Bachelor's Degree in Teaching (UVA), a Diploma in Religious Sciences and a Bachelor's Degree in Theology (ICADE), a Master's Degree in Digital Technologies and the Knowledge Society and a Master's Degree in Communication and Education on the Net (UNED). Professor at the Faculty of Education (UNED) and Principal Investigator of the Group "Social Media and Inclusive and Ubiquitous Media Education" (SMEMIU) from where he has directed European projects and participated as a researcher in others in different fields related to education and communication. She directs postgraduate degrees such as the master's degree "Cathedrals: Didactics of Art, Communication and Theology" (UNED). He has participated as a speaker in forty teacher training courses, sixty international conferences, and has published a hundred articles in different scientific journals and book chapters in impact publishers; author and coordinator of six books on educational fields. Among his teaching works, the supervision of fifty master's degree final projects and ten doctoral theses also stands out. Her current lines of research are educommunication, sNOOCs, influencers, media literacy, gamification, education and heritage communication.

Isabel Gutiérrez Ramirez, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

Isabel Gutiérrez Ramírez has a degree in Social Education (UNED). Her research work focuses on the study of older adults and educational proposals that focus on the population sector.

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Carmen Cantillo Valero, Javier Gil-Quintana, Isabel Gutiérrez Ramirez

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Those authors who have published with this journal, accept the following terms:

  1. They will retain their copyright and guarantee the journal the right to first publication of their work, which will simultaneously be subject to the Creative Commons Attribution License . They may be copied, used, disseminated, transmitted and publicly displayed, provided that the authorship, url, and magazine are cited, and are not used for commercial purposes. No derivative works are allowed.
  2. They may adopt other non-exclusive license agreements for the distribution of the published version of the work (e.g., deposit it in an institutional telematic archive or publish it in a monographic volume) provided that the initial publication in this journal is indicated.
  3. Disseminate your work through the Internet (e.g., in institutional telematic archives or on your website) once the manuscript is accepted, which may lead to interesting exchanges and increased citations of the published work. (See The effect of open access).

Hachetetepé. Scientific journal of education and communication does not charge a fee for the submission of manuscripts or for the publication of its articles.

References

Andrews, J., Wilson, C., & Coulson, M. (2022). Digital skills training for older people: The importance of the ‘lifeworld’. Information, Communication & Society, 25(10), 1472–1488. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1933560

Balseca, N., Carrillo, F., Merchan, J. M., y Moreno, C. J. (2019). Influencia del marketing, el internet y las redes sociales en adultos mayores: Una revisión de la literatura. Revista Espacios, 40(14), 8. https://acortar.link/2PtyRE

Bednarek, B. (2019). Silver Civic Education: Open Guide for Educators. Proyecto KA2 Erasmus+. EPALE.

Consejo Audiovisual de Andalucía. (2024). Mayores con Wi-Fi. https://acortar.link/iZ3bqL

EPALE. (2021). News media literacy for adults: por qué es importante ahora. https://epale.ec.europa.eu/

Estalayo, P. (2025). MELISE sMOOC: Un curso de alfabetización mediática para personas mayores europeas. Media and Learning Association. https://media-and-learning.eu/

Fañanás-Biescas, A. P. e Iniesta-Alemán,I. (2024). Navegando la era postdigital: estrategias frente al edadismo para una inclusión generacional efectiva. Pensar la publicidad, 17(2), 107-115. https://doi.org/10.5209/pepu.98966

Gil-Quintana, J., García Blazquez, E., Hueso-Romero, J.J., y Rodríguez Romero, L.M. (2024). Redes comunicativas universitarias sNOOC por la educación mediática de la tercera edad. Texto Livre, 18, e53823. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-3652.2025.53823

Jiang, M., Rifon, N. J., Cotten, S. R. M., Alhabash, S., Tsai, H. Y. S., Shillair, R., & Larose, R. (2022). Bringing older consumers onboard to online banking: A generational cohort comparison. Educational Gerontology, 48(3), 114–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2021.2021730

Masterman, L. (1993). La enseñanza de los medios de comunicación. Paidós.

Yin, R.K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications. Desig and Methods. SAGE.

Osuna Acedo, S., Cantillo Valero, C., Roura Redondo, M., Sánchez Palacín, A., y Aparici, R. (2014). Escenarios virtuales educomunicativos. Icaria Editorial.

Sidorenko-Bautista, P., Castillo-Abdul, B., Herranz-de-la-Casa, J. M., y Abellán-Hernández, M. (2025). Marketing, publicidad y marca en Fortnite: ¿cómo se conectan hoy en día las marcas y las empresas con las audiencias a través del metaverso? Ciencias Sociales Cogent, 11(1), 1-21 https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2025.2458058

Strauss, A. y Corbin, J. (2002). Bases de la investigación cualitativa: Técnicas y procedimientos para desarrollar la teoría fundamentada. Antioquía: Editorial Universitaria de Antioquía.

UNESCO (2011). Media and information literacy curriculum for teachers. UNESCO.

UNESCO (2013). Global Media and Information Literacy Assessment Framework. UNESCO.

Xie, B. (2021). Information technology and older adults. Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22009-9