Media Competences of Young University Students from Ecuador and Colombia

The present study shows results from two Latin American countries: Ecuador and Colombia. The general objective is to find out how young people get by in the face of digital technology and levels of media competence. The specific objectives are to define the reference indicators to measure the degree of media competence of university students, and to evaluate, in an exploratory way, the levels and the degree of media competence in selected samples from the two countries. The methodology used to evaluate the degree of media competence of young people in Ecuador and Colombia is to carry out an exploratory approach of a descriptive nature. Among the findings it is worth noting the use of Internet browsing for more technical and operational skills than valuations at the level of media competence. The need to establish systematic and continuous media literacy processes is identified. The analysis of these data could be considered a basis for the establishment of public policies in media education. This issue in these countries is emerging and it is exhausted in general lines as proposed in public documents, concerning the education plans and particular initiatives that are currently fragmented.