Costa, Kelly da SilvaFrança, Ellen PaivaLeitão, Erinaldo Pontes2026-08-142026-08-142026https://repositorio.ifrr.edu.br/handle/123456789/393This article aims to discuss how reading practices in virtual environments contribute to the development of critical readers. The study focuses specifically on reading on social media platforms, since, in this context, contemporary reading practices are no longer limited to verbal texts but are expanded through the use of multimodal texts, that is, texts that combine verbal and nonverbal language. These texts also make use of a variety of visual resources and appear in different forms, such as comments and memes, generating new terms and meanings. Consequently, they require readers to adopt different modes of participation and interaction within virtual environments.In light of this, the study adopts the theory of multiliteracies as its main theoretical framework, rather than approaching the topic solely from the perspective of digital literacy. This choice is based on the understanding that the multiliteracies approach enables the simultaneous analysis of cultural diversity, multimodality, and the new ways of producing meaning on multimodal social networking platforms, particularly Instagram and TikTok.The methodology is characterized as qualitative, bibliographical, exploratory, and descriptive research, based on studies published between 2016 and 2026, as well as on classical works addressing reading, literacy, multiliteracies, and multimodality.The findings indicate that social media platforms can broaden access to information and promote collaborative reading practices. However, they also require readers to develop critical competencies in evaluating authorship, source credibility, communicative intent, information circulation, visual language, and discursive manipulation.The study concludes that fostering critical readers in virtual environments requires pedagogical practices grounded in the theory of multiliteracies, as this approach integrates verbal, visual, auditory, and audiovisual reading practices while also promoting digital ethics.pt-BRAttribution 3.0 BrazilLeitura críticaAmbientes virtuaisRedes sociaisMultiletramentostcc_graduacaoLINGUISTICA, LETRAS E ARTES