Digital Literacy

How does digital literacy help a person in society?

For decades, school systems and governmental agencies alike have stressed the importance of literacy to an individual's development and level of functionality within present society. An individual who is illiterate is typically thought of as being at a disadvantage in society. Without the ability to read and/or write, how can a person establish himself/herself in society, maintain a professional career, remain aware of important current events, or seek to foster change or development within existing societal structures?

While traditional literary remains an issue today, an even bigger issue in present society is the notion of digital literacy. Fairly recent technological innovations such as the Internet and the World Wide Web have made digital literacy the new hot topic of discussion. According to Stephen M. Mutula and Justus M. Wamukoya (2007), digital literacy "refers to the ability to use internet-dependent applications and non-internet-dependent applications" (p. 90). Moreover, digital literacy refers to the ability to use and understand technological innovations that are designed to access information and communicate and interact within a virtual environment (Mutula & Wamukoya, 2007, p. 90).

Individuals who are digitally literate are able to search for and retrieve information, socially communicate with others in a Web-based environment, and utilize and understand software applications such as Microsoft Office.

These individuals hold several important advantages over those who are not digitally literate:

1. They are able to access information from all over the world quickly and efficiently. This important attribute enables individuals to become well-informed citizens, who are knowledgable of current affairs and who can communicate about current events.
2. They are able to strengthen their communication skills and advance their levels of social interaction. Individuals who are digitally literate are able to communicate effectively with one another in virtual environments such as forums, email, chatrooms, etc, broadening their worldviews and enhancing their social, cognitive and reasoning skills.
3. They are more marketable in society. Those who are digitally literate are more likely to perform well in the education and job markets. Computers and technology skills are now a prominent part of the learning experience from kindergarten through college. Individuals who learn how to manipulate and work with digital technology from an early age are far more likely to become successful workers in the corporate environment. Most companies require their employees to have some level of computer knowledge, as most occupations require the use of computers and their associated software and hardware components. Companies rely on economic income to sustain their growth and the growth of the nation's economy is firmly linked with the growth of the nation's digitally literacy. The more digitally literate and competitive we are as a nation, the more opportunities we have to foster worldwide corporate partnerships and grow our economy.
4. They develop higher-level thinking and reasoning skills. Those who are familiar with technology and the digital world are more likely to develop higher-level reasoning and problem-solving skills, enabling them to become more effective members of society.

For more information regarding digital literacy, please visit:

Digitalliteracy.gov

ICT Digital Literacy



Work Cited:

Mutula, S. M. & Wamukoya, J. M. (2007). Web information management: A cross-disciplinary textbook. Oxford: Chandos Publishing.