Comunicarea publică prin noile media: sursă de educație informală [Articol]

Abstract

This paper investigates the educational function of public communication in the context of new media, analyzing the interaction between communication, informal education, and self-education. In a digital age dominated by non-traditional means, public communication is no longer merely a process of information dissemination but becomes an instrument with multiple educational values: the development of critical thinking, media and democratic literacy, civic and moral formation. The research is based on a qualitative approach with a transdisciplinary perspective and is theoretically grounded in three frameworks: the Media Richness Theory, the Uses and Gratifications Theory, and the Social Learning Theory. These support the idea that the educational function of digitally mediated communication is complex, multi-layered, and deeply contextualized, with learning being interactive, self-regulated, and continuous. Digital content— distributed via social networks, podcasts, and vlogs—meets a variety of user needs and fosters imitation and internalization of behaviors. The central conclusion of the paper is that new media, through their convergent and participatory nature, represent a relevant and effective source of informal education and self-development throughout life.