What is Digital Literacy?
Hello everyone, today we want to address an important topic in our industry. We’re here with an informative piece on “What is Digital Literacy and how can one achieve it?”
As individuals are constantly interacting with technology, digital literacy skills have become increasingly important in the web design sector. Even during a simple internet browsing session, it is essential to act consciously and be able to interpret and understand events effectively. Internet technologies are now seen as indispensable services and needs for all of humanity. They have become a way for individuals to escape everyday life’s challenges and a power they can integrate into and use in their professional lives. With digital transformation, new job sectors have emerged, and the ways of working in existing sectors have changed. Consequently, customer expectations have also increased. Benefits such as data transfers, record systems, and system reliability have become commonly used.
What Does Digital Literacy Include?
Digital literacy is the skill required to fully understand, analyze, and obtain information from the smart devices that have become a part of our lives with changing technology. This includes having the ability to create and share content using devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. The reason for combining the terms digital and literacy is that digital represents information, while literacy signifies the ability to understand what is read. Using social media on devices like smartphones and tablets is crucial for digital literacy. Proper use of social media positively impacts a brand’s reputation and visibility. Being digitally literate means gaining experience in analyzing and accessing information to enhance media platforms.
Digital literacy consists of three stages: using information correctly, understanding what is used, and being able to produce what is understood. Let’s examine these stages in detail.
- Using Information Correctly:
This stage focuses on how effectively individuals can use smart devices. Effective use involves taking correct steps on digital platforms and understanding technical details. - Understanding What You Use:
The understanding stage is crucial for managing smart devices and the social platforms within them. This skill helps in accurately perceiving digital events and generating ideas. - Creating What You Understand:
The final stage of digital literacy involves developing productivity skills. Even basic communication and maintaining it over time are aspects of productivity. There is a significant difference between using the internet and creating content. Digital creation includes producing videos, photos, graphics, typography, etc. Knowing the language of digital and speaking accordingly is the most important point. - Evaluating Sources:
Digital literacy includes the ability to assess the reliability of sources when accessing information. The more reliable the source, the more accurate and trustworthy the information is considered. Therefore, you should first question the reliability of the source when accessing information. Official and recognized sources such as academic articles, reliable news outlets, or content written by experts should be preferred. - Analyzing Information:
Digital literacy also involves the ability to analyze the content, not just the source. When evaluating information, consider how up-to-date the data is, the consistency of information from different sources, and whether the evidence is solid. Sources that offer a range of perspectives, in addition to statistics and data, provide a more comprehensive analysis. - Understanding Context:
Using information without understanding its context can lead to misleading results. Digital literacy includes the ability to comprehend when, where, and how information should be used. Instead of forming judgments based on just headlines or summaries, you should fully understand and evaluate the content. - Using and Sharing Information:
Digital literacy encompasses the ability to use information correctly, not just for personal use but also for sharing purposes. It is important to verify and support information with reliable sources before sharing it. Similarly, attention must be paid to ensure that shared information is not misleading or unreliable.
The stages of digital literacy aim to develop the ability to distinguish and use accurate information in the online world. Evaluating sources, analyzing information, understanding context, and using information correctly are fundamental steps to accessing reliable information and avoiding misleading content. By developing these skills, we can become more informed and reliable consumers of information in the digital world.
https://www.instagram.com/creodive/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_Ec35UlV4Ok_tBWEO5K6A
