Digital literacy, FTW
Digital literacy is like abcd of the modern world. Just like all humans must have some sort of a basic education, digital literacy is a must in today’s day and age. Education is incomplete without completely understanding how the internet functions and how we can use it to learn and stay connected to the world.
Let’s talk basics
Today, if you want to find out the meaning of a word that you stumbled upon while reading a book, what do you do? Do you go find your dictionary? Before you answer that, do you even have one? No? Neither do I. It’s simple, why would you own an old, heavy relic, which can’t be updated on the fly to keep up with the rapidly changing world that we live in, when you can just do a quick Google search and get your answer, pronto. If you think about it, the internet has answers to every question our curious mind can come up. Literally, anything.
I am not trying to disregard school or basic education here. Academic education is paramount and everyone must be provided with one. The point I am trying to prove is that if we focus on digital literacy and try to spread awareness of the same, then our country can progress at a rapid pace. Internet is a lot of things, some good, some not so much. But if used right, the internet can be the gateway to a better future. A more literate future. If a person understands how to use the internet, that person does not have to rely on anybody else for information at the least. That person can be self-sufficient. And self-sufficiency boosts self-confidence. Do I need to stress upon how important all these things are for any individual? I will spare you the lesson in psychology.
Digital literacy could be categorised into different levels based on what kind of understanding an individual already possesses about the same. For the youth and people from more developed areas it might come naturally basis their upbringing, but in the more obscure and rural areas of our country there are still people who don’t know what a WhatsApp or Facebook means. And for them the basic digital literacy education must be provided. At the same time, elderly people even from the more developed part of the society might not know more than a thing or two about these egregiously famous social media apps. To address all the digital literacy related concerns, the government of India and different social media giants have launched programs.
How are we handling it?
One of the first programmes to boost digital literacy was enforced by our hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The programme was called ‘Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan’ and it was introduced to tackle the issue at the core level i.e. spreading digital literacy in rural areas. As part of the scheme, the government was aiming at imparting digital literacy training to 60 million rural households by 2019.
WhatsApp is also working with multiple partners to run a programme to spread digital literacy and curb circulation of fake news. When WhatsApp was asked to comment on this, a WhatsApp spokesperson said: “We are now working with experts in India to help grow our digital literacy efforts that will educate people about fake news and how to stay safe on WhatsApp”.
Google partnered with Tata Trusts to launch an initiative named ‘Internet Saathi’, which is aimed to tackle online gender divide in rural India. Google and Tata Trusts implemented ‘train the trainer’ model and trained women from villages on using the Internet and equipped with data-enabled devices. These women are known as Internet Saathis and work as trainers, to help other women in their village to get started on their Internet journey and benefit from it. As of April 2019, there are more than 68,700 Internet Saathis who have helped over 25 million women learn about the Internet across 2,48,700 villages
Facebook took a different approach by building a Digital Literacy Library to help young people use the internet more responsibly. They launched this in association with the Youth and Media team at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Facebook has also worked with Reliance Jio to give birth to the largest ever digital literacy programme which includes audio-visual training in 10 regional languages.
Quite recently, Reliance Jio introduced their digital literacy initiative called ‘Digital Udaan’. Their goal is to empower first-time internet users with digital literacy and basic dos and don’ts while surfing the internet. As a part of the initiative, Jio will engage with its users on every Saturday to help them understand all the different features of their JioPhone, uses of various apps, and the importance of being safe and vigilant on the internet. To begin with, this program is being launched in nearly 200 different locations across 13 states. The initiative is soon expected to reach over 7,000 locations empowering millions of JioPhone users and other first-time internet users.
Mr Akash Ambani, Director of Reliance Jio stated, “Jio is always looking to work with key global partners to enhance the digital life experience of the Indian consumer. The Digital Udaan initiative is one such example, which will help eradicate barriers of information asymmetry and provide accessibility in real time. It is a program for inclusive information, education and entertainment, where no Indian will be left out of this digital drive. Jio envisions to take this to every town and village in India, achieving 100% digital literacy in the country,”
Mr. Ajit Mohan, VP and MD Facebook India, said “Jio is playing a vital role in driving India’s digital revolution by empowering millions of Indians and expanding access to the Internet. Facebook is an ally in this mission, and we are delighted to partner with Jio in attracting new Internet users and creating mechanisms for them to unleash the power of that access.”
Empowering digital literacy in our country will help our country connect with each other and to the world. Connected, we will all thrive together.
