Critical Thinking in the Data Age. New Challenges

The contribution starts from a presentation of the current situation of communication, marked by the so-called “fourth wave” of media development. It is characterized by a pervasive presence of media and the role of platforms. This means that consumer data are used by platforms owners in a situation of asymmetry between them. This situation affects our way of thinking about Media Education. In this regard, it is necessary to have in mind a bigger picture than that which normally leads us to believe that Media Education means to control the use of devices. Today, Media Education is above all Data Literacy. This forces to find new tools for the critical analysis of texts and for the exercise of active citizenship. The second part of the chapter tries to show the way also through some case studies.