The making of a critical mindset. Ideal media students in times of deep mediatization 223 (PAUL; ELDER, 2014). To think about thinking, through reflection and doubt, can also be a route to a deeper personal trans- formation (RAFFNSØE, 2017). Furthermore, critique and criti- cal thinking can be affiliated with the Marxian concept critical consciousness (BURBULES; BERK. 1999; CHRISTENS, 2015; DA- VIES, 2015) and the ideals and practices of critical pedagogy. In other words, with an emancipatory epistemology and transformative educational practice, that often is associated with criti- cal theory (FREIRE, 1974. KELLNER; SHARE, 2007; 2019). The questions is if the critical mindset of the ideal media student is about scholarly excellence, or if it is about the cultivation of pub- lic intellectuals, and engaged citizens. The critical imperative (think critically, be critical, act critical) (without being cynical or nihilistic) is key to almost all forms of higher education. Although not in all countries. Still, in Sweden the critical imperative is strong and it is directly connected to the principles and practices of democracy. In the Ordinance for Higher Education (Högskoleförordningen) the word “critical” appears 67 times, and the word “independent” 205 times. These ideals and are general and strongly cherished. This quote is from principles for a BA-exam (for example in media studies). Here it says that the student is expected to: “demonstrate the abil- ity to search for, collect, evaluate and critically interpret relevant information in a problem situation and to critically discuss phe- nomena, issues and situations”. However, in these times of deep mediatization, there are post-critical tendency. Now anyone and everyone can be a critique, at least online, especially when it comes to the media (c.f. MCDONALD, 2009). There is also a ten- dency that critique is overused and degenerates to a so called loose concept (ILLOMÄKKI, 2016). In other words, a concept that is constantly described and defined, by different stakeholders, in different contexts, for different purposes. This tendency can be noted inmanymedia literacy cam- paigns. In a mapping of media and information literacy projects (MIL) in the 28 EU member states, a total of 547 projects were listed (EU, 2016). In 402 of these (73%), the concept “critical thinking” was fore fronted. Mainly in relation to matters of disin- formation. In UNESCO’s very influential MIL-curriculum Media and Information Literacy. Curriculum for Teachers (WILSON, et.
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