The nexus between Black media consumers’ racial identity, critical and digital media literacy skills, and psychological well-being

Black individuals view mass media and participate in digital media at rates greater than their racial counterparts and this relationship often promotes favorable group-based outcomes. However, quantitative examinations of the relationship between Black audiences’ media use, media literacy skills, and favorable results related to well-being are lacking. Using a cross-sectional US Black adult sample (N = 1,027) and applying tenets of media uses and gratifications theory, the present work examined the relationship between Black individuals’ racial centrality, digital and critical media literacy skills, and perceptions of personal growth, social mobility, and self-efficacy. Results suggest that racial centrality is positively related to perceptions of personal growth, social mobility, and self-efficacy, and digital and critical media literacies positively mediate these relationships. Results are discussed regarding the implications for Black audiences’ media literacy skills and psychological well-being.