Exploring Digital Literacy, Critical Thinking, and Digital Inclusion in the Modern World

Eduporium Weekly | Defining and Developing Digital Literacy. (2023, February 9). Eduporium Blog. https://www.eduporium.com/blog/eduporium-weekly-defining-and-developing-digital-literacy/

DIGITAL LITERACY ----------------------------------

Importance of Digital Literacy It has now become mandatory to acknowledge that technology competency now includes an ability to function in the contemporary society. Buckingham (2015) has defined digital literacy as the ability to critically appreciate how media works, why it matters and how it establishes the realism. The very concept is rich and multi-faceted which according to Buckingham’s analysis involves five P’s; this research area interests me as it shows that digital literacy is not merely about using particular tools but also being cognizant of social contexts.

Broader Scope of Digital Literacy Skills acquired in the education of digital literacy should not be limited to the acquisition of concrete skills. Exploring the media and its characteristics is as important as the usage of the media which suits the ‘big picture’ ideas mentioned by Buckingham. Such a view is more appropriate when focused on Indigenous Australians. Rennie et al (2016) have done a study on the digital divide in Remote Aboriginal communities stressing how use and adoption of technology apparatus either augments or diminishes connectivity to social and economic dynamics. However, due to several social disadvantages, Indigenous Australians are restricted in using technological facilities and therefore, need appropriate ICT promotion. This viewpoint thus affirms Buckingham’s theory while negating it in the same breadth since it brings out the centrality of culture in regard to digital literacy.

Cultural Relevance in Digital Literacy However, cultural background as part of the digital literacy education is a unique feature that expands on Buckingham’s theory. Presumably, the digital literacy education has to be grounded in the community and culturally relevant. This approach defines the digital literacy as the culture and practice that must be provided with the adequate approaches to improvement. This is exemplified by the state of Indigenous Australians’ which indicates that developing solutions for the digital divide requires culturally relevant approaches to be implemented. It stresses the necessity for paying specific attention to social contexts, cultures, and requirements when practicing digital literacy. The concept of digital literacy as a form of cultural practice that is revealed in this paper helps us to advance the utilization of educational technologies in culturally diverse classrooms.

Action Plans for Digital Literacy It is important to note that for increasing the level of development of DL we should use culturally appropriate, communitarian approaches. Implementation of educational programs should exist in a certain social background; digital literacy is a cultural phenomenon. Some of the measurable action plans are the formulation of culturally sensitive ICT programmes, attending to the technological inequity, and assimilating indigenous systems and culture into computer literacy programmes.

CRITICAL THINKING ---------------------------------

Significance of Critical Thinking It is substantiated that critical thinking is essential component of the function of an intellectual in the information age. Cottrell (2011) gives much importance in using critical thinking in arguments and valid conclusions. McLuhan’s ‘extensions of man’ interest me, aware of how media technology impacts one’s perception, and interaction with the knowledge as embodied by personal computing.

Critical Thinking in Media of critical thinking alongside media made very essential in the ever emerging information society. Such concentration raises several salient queries pertinent in the analysis of the human interface with the technological in light of McLuhan’s theory, extending beyond the creation of the message to include the effect on the reader. This going with observations on how use of social media influences opinion making as well as debates. Kaldor Public Art Project 32 by Jonathan Jones is one such example that demonstrates critical thinking on how Indigenous knowledge – technology can effectively expose colonialism. Such an approach of critical thinking goes further than the cognition, encompassing cultural and practical way of solving problems, and the capacity to function within the framework of two or more – knowledge forming – cultures.

Enhancing Critical Thinking aspect enriches the definition given by Cottrell of critical thinking since it focuses on respect for other cultures. It implies that critical thinking should consider ideologies not only as sets of reasons for a particular type of behavior, but as a certain perspective on the reality. Thus, this insight helps to advance knowledge of the nature of critical thinking in a multicultural context. Jones’s artworks show how critical thinking is used to challenge the settler colonialism and produce the new Indigenous cultural forms from the combination of Indigenous knowledge and the new Information communication technologies. This approach underlines the necessity to take into account such factors as cultural differences and other types of valuable knowledge during the critical thinking process, when ideas of different cultures interact.

Developing Critical Thinking, it can be concluded that to develop critical thinking, one has to accept multicultural values and orientations. Specific actions discussed are : consuming media products carefully, consuming artwork and literature that does not reinforce the dominant paradigm, and looking for Indigenous and nonwestern perspectives. This approach will create a different focus, more open and wider, to embrace and account for this ‘modern’ mosaique of cultures we live in.

DIGITAL ACCESS AND INCLUSION ---------------

The Digital Revolution and Its Implications The very rhythm and pace of the digital revolution which the upholders of new media adore bring up some fundamental questions of Media Studies concerning access, social justice and culture. The multifaceted topic of the double digital divide proposed in the paper beyond that of the mere devices’ possession interests me The way how different communities and especially benefit from digital schemes is radically dissimilar and reflects stratification of society.

Factors Contributing to the Digital Divide Some of the main factors of the digital divide are the availability of devices to use internet connection, how the citizens of the country can conduct themselves on the internet and how efficient they are in their utilization of technology. This is in line with findings documenting how different communities take part in the use of digital schemes. The “Are you lost in the world like me?” video (2016) is a contemplative piece that illuminates the question of whether technology leads to unity, whether the creator of the artwork seen in the video is human or a sentientificient, as well as the interconnectiveness of the world today. Similarly, in the study by Rennie et al. (2016) involving the use of digital literacy by the remote Indigenous communities, the issue of cultural sensitivity in the use of technologies while proposing the concepts of digital divide is stressed by the authors thus rejecting any overgeneralized approach from the developing countries.

Cultural Sensitivity in Digital Inclusion This point of view adds to knowing the availability of technology by adjusting it towards cultural worth and references. It does not endorse the conventional characterization of the digital divide entails the ‘Right Technology’ and ‘Relevant ICT knowledge’ for the eligible communities. The emphasis on the cultural aspect negates the solutions that are deemed to work for everyone proposed by global elites. That is why it is proposed that the positive prospects of the DM include should address the cultural factors, communal activities, and relevancies at the local level. It does so to show that connecting to the digital is not necessarily a technical problem, but could be cultural and even liberatory. This increases the argument that assessment of digital inequalities requires focus on other parameters but the users’ density.

Action Steps for Reducing Digital Inequality It means that culturally favourable approaches to reduce digital inequality need to be employed depending on the context of the societies. Action steps include: Including conducting need assessments for the digital literacy among community members, designing culturally relevant methods for the promotion of digital literacy, and initiating the policies that would allow everyone to have equal access to the technology. These actions will go to contribution towards making the cause of digital inclusion one that encompasses and uplifts the marginalized groups in the contemporary society.

REFERENCE

Buckingham, D. (2006). Defining digital literacy – What do young people need to know about digital media? Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, 1(04), 263–277. https://doi.org/10.18261/issn1891-943x-2006-04-03

Cottrell, S. (2011). Critical thinking skills: Developing effective analysis and argument. Palgrave Macmillan.

IFTF. (n.d.). IFTF: 20 Combinatorial Forecasts Map. Legacy.iftf.org. Retrieved July 11, 2024, from https://www.iftf.org/maps/20-combinatorial-forecasts/20-combinatorial-forecasts-map/

Jones, J. (2017). Jonathan Jones, Kaldor Public Art Project 32 - YouTube. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTsJDv8cZV8Y0xpXssocRmNed50M_rNvW

Moby. (2016). Moby & The Void Pacific Choir - Are You Lost In The World Like Me? (Official Video). In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VASywEuqFd8

Rennie, E., Thomas, J., & Wilson, C. (2019). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and digital inclusion: what is the evidence and where is it? Communication Research and Practice, 5(2), 105–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/22041451.2019.1601148

Transition21. (2016, September 22). Extensions of Man – Marshall McLuhan. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp6jPEX3uFQ