In the times of increasing dependency on digital technology, digital literacy plays a vital role for learning or working in this virtual world. Digital literacy refers to the skills and knowledge to access and use the digital technology responsibly.It is also called the survival skill in this digital world.
It does not only mean the knowledge to use digital platforms, it also includes other skills such as critical thinking, practical and functional skills, efficient communication, curating information, collaboration, creativity, E-safety, cultural and social understanding, required while operating a digital platform. Digital literacy is extremely important to overcome the obstacles while learning or working in the digital era.
It does not refer to just a technical know-how or the ability to read content online. It includes the understanding of basic rules, social practices and ethics while using cyberspace. The digital world is filled with information on various topics. It becomes imperative to know how to access and consume credible information. Awareness about the fact that every piece of information received online may not be true is extremely important.
Most of the content online is shareable. Therefore it is important to check the credibility of the information and know the impact that the shared information can have on others. The content is also searchable. So it is important to know how to search for relevant information. Not every information we see online may be the latest one, its relevance needs to be checked before consuming or sharing it further.
The cyberspace is interconnected with each other, people can connect here easily. Digital communication is always two-way. Most of the content has the option to receive feedback. So it is an important aspect of digital literacy to learn effective communication skills for the digital platform. Communication can be both formal or informal in cyberspace. Nowadays, a number of career options require online collaboration and digital communication skills.
The online behaviour of users also plays an important role. Often people do not realise the consequence of their actions online and take their digital presence for granted. Digital literacy makes people aware to make a safe cyberspace and avoid cyber bullying, abuse and harassment. It is crucial to know about the basic internet safety measures like setting a strong password, maintaining password secrecy, privacy settings in social media, reporting fake accounts etc.
Digital literacy is being promoted in educational institutions so that the students can find and consume accurate information. The students can access diverse learning content from the digital space, especially from the facilities like the digital library.
In this constantly changing world of technology, Digital Literacy is a lifelong learning process. The basic knowledge of functioning digitally and constantly learning about the latest updates and features of cyberspace has become essential in today’s world.
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