Towards a Critical Framework of Social Media Literacy: A Systematic Literature Review.

This article systematically reviews the concept of Critical Social Media Literacy (CSML), a framework integrating users' goals and contextualized social media practices (affordances-in-practice) with critical literacy components—namely inquiry, reflection, and action. Drawing on 50 publications from 2010 to 2021, the review finds that while many studies address elements of CSML, only 40% comprehensively cover all its components, and empirical instructional interventions are scarce, particularly outside higher education. The analysis highlights five key social media affordances—anonymity, association, editability, persistence, and visibility—and emphasizes the importance of educational programs that empower users to critically and responsibly navigate social media’s sociotechnical environments. The study calls for expanded research and curriculum development across diverse populations and contexts to support users’ agency, well-being, and social empowerment in increasingly pervasive social media landscapes.