Literacy in the 21st Century
To be literate, or not to be literate, that is the question that can go around in circles for days. Coming into this class I had truly never reflected on the idea of literacy, and what exactly it means to be literate. The key with asking this question is to look at it in terms of the setting/context. One of the first things I learned about being literate is it means something entirely different now than it did ten years ago. The farther into the past you look, the more constricted the words definition was in society. Being literate is not simply being able to just read and write anymore, it is about being able to communicate effectively over a vast number of social platforms and technology.
Literacy in the 21st century is more dependent on technology than it has ever been before. To be literate in today’s world, there is a demand to communicate using technology and the internet. Technology has such a big impact on society’s way of reaching each other that it is used as a primary source in the school system. A large majority of public middle and high schools supply all of their students with laptops, which are used as a main outlet for learning. One of the most common stereotypes about adolescents today is that they are constantly glued to a screen (mainly a phone screen). We’ve all seen the dramatic artwork of teens being portrayed as locked up, or toxically bonded to their electronic devices. It is not accurate to heavily look at technology in that light in, because it really is the go-to means of communication for teens today. That isn’t necessarily as bad of a thing as it is often be painted out to be, but it gives a whole new meaning to the word literacy.
Giving a new meaning to the word is not to say that all of the old values tied with its definition are left neglected. To take a step back from the view that being literate is all about technology, I want to look back at a reading from class by Alvermann and Wilson. The article lays out a middle school science teacher’s journey through teaching students using nature as text. The science teacher uses a little patch of land to teach her students the days lesson on erosion. I bring up this example to push the point that being literate in the 21st century doesn’t completely depend on technology. The way the students used the resources they were given to understand, and communicate the content of the class shows how to be literate in a different setting. In this case technology does not even come into play at all. This example is very strong in terms of defining literacy. It proves that being literate always changes depending on the setting you are trying to communicate in. It shows that literacy today is all about multi-modal systems of learning. Every setting has its own modes of text used to portray information. Being literate in this example is about being able to use the text effectively, even though it is not an ordinary one.
Let’s jump right back into some technology talk, shall we? One of the main outlets for teens is social media. Apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have taken over the social-sphere of adolescents. When I was in middle school part of your popularity depended on how many Facebook friends you have, no joke. What is so interesting about the social media platform used by teens is the culture, and language they create. A group of friends talking via a Facebook wall may be completely uninterpretable for an older citizen, because of the slang or use of memes, etc. The point is, being literate over these social media platforms brings on yet another altercation to the broadness that is the words definition.
Something that is easily missed however, is the fact that being literate today is also about knowing the risks of technology and these social apps. An article from the Guardian we read for class talks about how eighty-seven million Facebook users fell victim to their data being shared with Cambridge Analytica. Personal information from Facebook profiles was harvested in order to target users “inner demons.” It is truly a scary thought, but one that is brushed off so seemingly often. Being literate in today’s day in age means being aware of these risks. Just about anyone can click a blue app with the letter “f” on it, but not nearly everyone knows the dangers of what they’re doing. I feel that adolescents are most at risk for this, because of the fact that instant gratification has a lot to do with their social media happenings. An article I found online titled, “How to Teach Digital Literacy in the Classroom,” supports my claim. One of the main points presented was the importance of students knowing and understanding internet safety. The article stressed that comprehension of internet safety was just as much a part of literacy in the classroom as knowing how to use the internet.
To close, I would like to once again take a step back from technology. An article I found by Bill Bancroft made a point really stuck out to me. In one section of the article he discusses what a person needs to excel at being literate in the 21st century. I will use his words since I could not say it better myself; to excel, one must have “the ability to understand that any kind of media is in and of itself a message.” He believes that to get the most out of the word literacy in today’s context, citizens must learn to value new perspectives and means of communication. He stresses that his must happen even if people don’t agree with other perspectives. I love this because it stresses that personal differences in beliefs shouldn’t hinder being literate in the 21st century. This point is perfect to close on as it broadens the word back out to being applicable to anyone.
References
Alvermann, D., & Wilson, A. (2011). Comprehension strategy instruction for multimodal texts in science. Theory into Practice
Applied Educational Systems, Inc. (n.d.). 5 Steps to Teaching Digital Literacy in the Classroom. Retrieved 2018, from https://www.aeseducation.com/how-to-teach-digital-literacy-in-the- classroom
Badshah, N. (2018, April 08). Facebook to contact 87 million users affected by data breach. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/08/facebook-to- contact-the-87-million-users-affected-by-data-breach
Bancroft, B. (2016, January 10). Being Literate in the 21st Century. Retrieved from https://thesystemsthinker.com/being-literate-in-the-21st-century/
