What is Digital Literacy?
I think of digital literacy as more than skill alone, though digital skills is included. I think digital literacy are those skills in context–ethical use of digital technologies, awareness of pitfalls and vulnerabilities in using those technologies, even how those technologies relate to other earlier technologies. These could include everything from recognizing and refraining from cyberbullying to relating online creation of art to earlier analog artforms (what makes art art,e.g.).
What impact does digital literacy have on your personal, professional, and spiritual* life? (*However you interpret this.)
It really does impact in the expected ways—I am much more cautious about protecting my online information; I am aware of and can put in context the miserable comments people make in social media about those with whom they disagree; I recognize that I need to ask myself what are appropriate places for airing opinions or personal issues, medical histories, etc. (e.g., NOT on Facebook). It even affects how I store my info at work (e.g., on a shared drive vs. a personal drive; should any personal info be stored at work or not).
Who are you?
[ Lawrie Merz is the Public Services Coordinator / Interim Co-Director and a librarian at Messiah College, PA. ]