Introduction

Oftentimes when we hear the word “literate”, we think it just means the ability to read and write. That definition is correct, however, there is another aspect of the word literacy that is extremely important to understand. According to Oxford Languages, literacy can be simply defined as “having competence or knowledge in a specific area.” To be literate in one area often requires literacies in other areas. In other words, you may need to understand a bunch of smaller concepts in order to establish literacy in a bigger field. In a world that is constantly technologically evolving, digital literacy is an extremely important skill for anybody to have. As technology advances, a person has to keep up with new updates, softwares, and features to maintain literacy. Many scholars have studied and discussed the importance and roots of digital literacy. Through these studies, we are now able to understand what digital literacy is and why it is so important. The goal of this chapter is to further explain what digital literacy is, how one can maintain digital literacy, and the overall importance of digital literacy.

What is Digital Literacy?

Digital literacy has evolved into an essential part of our everyday lives. Whether you are working a job, in school, or simply using a technological device, digital literacy is at work all of the time. The American Library Association defines digital literacy as “the ability to use information and  communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.” To be digitally literate, one needs to understand different symbols, functions and messages being conveyed by technology. Doug Eyman prefers to use the term digital literacy as opposed to technology literacy because “it captures the notion that the literacy practices referred to are enacted in digital spaces.” Technology literacy is too broad of a term to capture the aspects of digital literacy. Eyman also asserts that technology literacy is too broad due to the fact that all modes of communication are technology. Digital literacy is a simple, yet complex concept to understand. For example, if you are wondering what LeBron James averaged in the 2006 NBA Season, possessing digital literacy allows for you to be able to find that information in less than thirty seconds. Spires and Bartlett (2012) state that “being digitally literate in your daily life means, simply, having the ability to locate & consume digital content, create digital content and communicate digital content.” Having a firm understanding of the provided definitions of digital literacy is a good place to start before unpacking what specifically goes into obtaining digital literacy.

Aspects of Digital Literacy

One of the most important aspects to understand of digital literacy is that there are several other literacies that go into being digitally literate. Hiller Spires, a professor of literacy and technology at the North Carolina State University, believes that there are three main aspects of digital literacy. By examining these elements, we can get a better understanding of the overall components that contribute to digital literacy. This article is a great tool to break down digital literacy into its simplest form. Digesting the definitions and examples provided by Eyman and others can feel overwhelming at times. One of the best ways to counter that frustration is to simplify, and then build your understanding from there.

Consuming Digital Content

The first part of digital literacy is finding and consuming digital content. When you read a physical print copy of a book or article, you are simply reading the words on the page. There are no added skills besides flipping to the next page, and there are no extra decisions to make while consuming the content. However, when reading an article online, there is a lot more than just the words. An example of this is reading an article from the Asbury Park Press or ESPN online.  Now, you are presented with features such as hyperlinks, videos, share buttons, comment sections, and a ton of other tools that now force the reader to decide what to click. These tools are not available when consuming printed text. Part of having digital literacy is being able to navigate the extra features that are presented in work published within digital spaces. Additionally, finding content online is drastically different from physical content. Digital literacy involves being able to find what you are looking for on the internet by understanding how search engines work. Professor Friend has taught us students a lot about how SEO works, and having a good understanding of those parts of the internet are essential to digital literacy.

Creating Content

The second piece Spires refers to is creating content. This does not mean being a social media influencer or knowing how to push your videos on TikTok. Creating content refers to basic tasks such as writing an email to a colleague, publishing a blog post, or simply posting a picture on Instagram. Content in digital spaces is often shared or reposted, something that is not nearly as popular for print text. Creating content for digital spaces is a way to give a voice to users and spread messages a lot easier than one could via print. Having digital literacy allows for a user to communicate with others in digital spaces and use their voice to spread messages to the world online.

Communicating and Sharing Content

Finally, communicating and sharing content is an essential part of digital literacy. This refers to the spread of information in digital writing. Content published digitally is often intended to be shared as much as possible. What you put out on the internet is there forever, and most times people publish content with the goal of reaching as many people as possible. Sharing content is a powerful tool, as it can spark change in society or communities. Digital literacy involves understanding how to share content, and understanding appropriate internet behavior. This may include sending a tweet to your friend, or sharing a news article with your parents. The internet is an extremely powerful tool that can be used for either good or bad. Sharing content is one of the most prominent and beneficial differences between digital media and print writing. Content that is published online can spread like wildfire in less than a day. Therefore, it is essential that everybody from children, to students, to the elderly understand how to move content across digital spaces.

Foundation and Usefulness of Digital Literacy

There are a few other forms of literacy that go into becoming digitally literate as well. Two of the biggest ones are information literacy and media literacy. Skyline College defines information literacy as “the ability to find, evaluate, organize, use, and communicate information in all its various formats.” In today’s online world, there is a ton of misinformation being spread on the internet everyday. Whether the information is about politics, health, sports, or entertainment, fake news is unfortunately extremely common. A large part of being  digitally literate is being able to identify false information, detect bias, and trace back sources for credibility. Another form of literacy that goes along with digital literacy is media literacy. The National Association for Media Literacy Education defines media literacy as “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication.“ This definition aims to encourage readers to think critically about the information they consume. Media literacy is closely related to information literacy, as both are ways of navigating information presented to you online and assuring that the information is accurate, safe, and trustworthy. Both concepts are crucial to being effectively digitally literate.

Digital Literacy for Employment

Trying to find a job in 2024 is an excruciating process that feels impossible to most. A lot of entry level job listings require a ton of experience, skills and knowledge that are only obtainable through work experience. However, you can’t get that experience without finding a job. According to the University of Derby, 90% of new graduate jobs require high level information and communication technology skills. That being said, having strong digital literacy skills has become a necessity in finding a job.