Computer Literacy: It’s Not What You Think

Software, in its many forms, has utterly devoured modern life. The ubiquity of digital automation in today’s world cannot be overstated, and there are few hints that the relentless progress of technology will slow any time soon.

Many of today’s college-age students will be acutely aware that this has led to generic ‘computer literacy’ becoming just another box to tick on the checklist of employability. Most (or at least most millennials) would tick said box without much hesitation. However, I would argue that the popular understanding of what it means to be ‘computer literate’ is insufficient, and that it is leading to a population that does not feel empowered by technology, but bewildered by it.

Arthur C. Clarke’s third law states that,

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

This is how many people view contemporary technology, often at the cost of being better suited to using it. By perceiving something as magical, we see it as beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, and conventional logic no longer applies.

While a mere mortal could perhaps use such a magical thing for a few basic tasks, they will never be able to apply it to new tasks, to make it their own, or to be empowered by it. The majority of people do not understand how digital…