Differences

 

Differences created by Digital Literacy and Digital Illiteracy

Digital literacy is necessary for the correct use of various digital platforms. Literacy in social network services and the Web world helps people stay in contact with others, pass timely information, and even buy and sell goods and services Digital literacy can also prevent people from being taken advantage of online, such as photo manipulation, E-mail fraud, and phishing often can fool the digitally illiterate, costing victims money and making them vulnerable to identity theft. 

However, those using technology and the internet to commit these manipulations and fraudulent acts possess the digital literacy abilities to fool victims by understanding the technical trends and consistencies; it becomes important to be digitally literate to always think one step ahead when utilizing the digital world.

Research has demonstrated that the differences in the level of digital literacy depend mainly on age and education level, while the influence of gender is decreasing. Among young people, digital literacy is high in its operational dimension. Young people rapidly move through hypertext and have a familiarity with different kinds of online resources. However, the skills to critically evaluate content found online show a deficit. With the rise of digital connectivity amongst young people, concerns about digital safety are higher than ever. 

A study conducted in Poland, commissioned by the Ministry of National Knowledge measured the digital literacy of parents in regards to digital and online safety. It concluded that parents often overestimate their level of knowledge, but clearly had an influence on their children’s attitude and behavior toward the digital world. It suggests that with proper training programs parents should have the knowledge in teaching their children about the safety precautions necessary to navigate the digital space.

Digital divide:

The digital divide refers to the disparities among people - such as those living in the developed and developing world - concerning access to and the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), particularly computer hardware, software, and the Internet.

Individuals within societies that lack economic resources to build ICT infrastructure do not have adequate digital literacy, which means that their digital skills are limited.

The digital divide is also defined as emphasizing the distinction between the “haves” and “have-nots,” and presenting all data separately for rural, urban, and central-city categories.

Participation gap:

The participation gap refers to people who have sustained access to and competency with digital technologies due to Media Convergence.

students learn different sets of technology skills if they only have access to the internet in a library or school. In particular, students who have access to the internet at home have more opportunities to develop their skills and have fewer limitations, such as computer time limits and website filters commonly used in libraries.

Digital rights:

Digital Rights are an individual’s rights that allow them freedom of expression and opinion in an online setting, with roots centered on human theoretical and practical rights. It encompasses the individual’s privacy rights when using the Internet, and is essentially responsible for how an individual uses different technologies and how content is distributed and mediated. Government officials and policymakers use digital rights as a springboard for enacting and developing policies and laws in order to obtain rights online the same way we obtain rights in real life. Private organizations that possess their own online infrastructures also develop rights specific to their property.

Digital Citizenship:

Digital Citizenship refers to the "right to participate in society online". It is connected to the notion of state-based citizenship which is determined by the country or region in which one was born in as well as the idea of being a 'dutiful citizen who participates in the electoral process and online through mass media.[43] A literate digital citizen possesses the skills to read, write and interact with online communities via screens and has an orientation for social justice.

Digital citizenship also refers to online awareness and the ability to be safe and responsible online. This idea came from the rise of social media in the past decade which has enhanced global connectivity and faster interaction. However, with this phenomenon, the existence of fake news, hate speeches, cyberbullying, hoaxes, and so on has emerged as well.

Digital natives and digital immigrants:

the terms digital natives and digital immigrants are used to describe respectively an individual born into the digital age and one adopting the appropriate skills later in life. A digital immigrant refers to an individual who adopts technology later in life. 

These two groups of people have had different interactions with technology since birth, a generational gap. The digital immigrants, although they adapt to the same technology as natives, possess a sort of accent which restricts them from communicating the way natives do. 

It's not computer literacy we should be working on, but sort of human literacy. Computers have to become human-literate.