Investigating the Relationship Between the Level of Media Literacy and the Acceptance of Political Rumors on Facebook (a Survey of Karbala University Students)

The concept of media literacy is not new. It appeared in the late sixties and developed in the early seventies. Media literacy began to be viewed as an education for modern media, as a defensive project aimed at protecting young people from the dangers posed by the media, identifying false information and inappropriate values, and encouraging students to reject them. and rise above it. This trend began over the years with the importance of media literacy as students respond to the deluge of media information, and the necessity of media literacy provides ample space for students to acquire skills in media culture and critical analysis. Our question in this study was to research the relationship between the level of media literacy and the acceptance of political rumors in Facebook with a focus on the students of Karbala University. The researcher applied Cochran’s law to extract the research sample. Among the most prominent findings of the researcher: A large percentage of students believe that their knowledge of media literacy was in varying degrees, due to the lack of training and awareness programs in the field of media education, a large proportion of students agree that university students’ knowledge of the concept of education The media protects against the negative effects of the media and political rumors. A large percentage of students agree with the contribution of media literacy to developing awareness in confronting political rumors. Most of the respondents agree that media literacy has the ability to immunize against the negative effects of rumors on Facebook. A large percentage of the public agree that education The media has a role in shaping the public opinion of students towards political rumors, a large proportion of the public It was agreed that Facebook had an effect in spreading political rumours, and the researcher recommended a set of recommendations, including: the need to adhere to accuracy, objectivity and credibility in disseminating news through Facebook and other sites because of their importance, as publications on Facebook have become an important and basic source for knowing the news. Rumors without verifying their source or truth have serious effects on university students and society, the need to increase research in the field of media literacy in addition to research related to political rumors.