Sample Essay

The Importance of Digital Literacy in the 21st Century Modern World

Digital literacy is fast becoming one of the requirements of living in modern society. The American Library Association defines digital literacy as the ability to use modern technology to find, evaluate, create and communicate information. A digitally literate person is one who possesses technical and cognitive skills to process information in various formats, utilizes digital features to collaborate with others and participates actively in civic society and improves communities, curates data and media, consumes safe and credible online information, creates relevant content, and create forums of like-minded people for various subjects.

Digital literacy is critically and uncompromisingly important because the entire world has become one single, cohesive inter-national digital community. All of the world’s sources of information are being digitized or have already been digitized or are digital in nature. There are any number of free online courses (MOOCS) on the internet and timely utilization of these can turn any layman into a digitally literate person. With the sheer scale of free information available on the Internet, one could indeed be left behind if he or she does not take the initiative to be digitally literate.

If a person is digitally literate, he or she is more employable. There is no job today that is not digitized. Almost every job now uses the internet on a laptop, tablet, personal computer, or mobile phone. Communication at the workplace is usually by email or social media. Also, digital literacy skills save time spent on manual tasks such as calculations. In the post-Covid world, work-from-home or remote work opportunities are exploding. One will really be left behind if he or she is not digitally literate.

The biggest advantage of being digitally literate for a student is that it makes educational progress easier. Education is highly digitized in the modern world. Many schools use laptops and tablets instead of textbooks. Assignments are submitted as soft copy online instead of written by hand. Teachers and students even communicate using online methods. The future of education is heavily digitized, even to the point of the involvement of robot teachers. At present, robots are teacher assistants, but in course of time, they might even replace human teachers. Virtual reality, augmented reality and holograms are transforming the face of education.

Digital literacy is important also because it promotes social interaction. Communication is the lifeblood of social interaction and in the modern world, most communication takes place online. If one is not literate enough to use WhatsApp or Instagram social life can suffer badly. Even in small social units such as a family, digital communication is essential because family members may be located in different parts of the world.

Also, digital literacy is a life skill. Nowadays, if you want to call a taxi, you have to use an app. If you want to shop in the comfort of your home, you have to use Amazon or some similar online app. Online shopping is unavoidable now. Even in healthcare, the digital revolution is in. Fitbits and such devices that counts the steps you take in a day or measures your heart rate are essential for the modern man.

Digital literacy is important also for online safety. As technology progresses, there are more and more risks. Cyberbullying, phishing and identity theft are on the rise. One could be cheated very easily if he or she is not digitally literate enough to safeguard their online presence. There are any number of cybercriminals who would love to access the personal information of individuals. With digital literacy skills, one can learn how to protect their personal data by the proper usage of privacy settings on social media. One can also use encryption tools while communicating online.

From a more global perspective, digital literacy is a great social leveler. The internet does not differentiate between the poor and the rich, high-income and low-income countries, high class and low caste. Once a person is digitally literate, an infinite world of possibilities is open to him or her. It is safe to say that being digitally literate is the passport to the modern digital world.

To conclude, it can be reiterated that digital literacy skills are extremely important in the modern world. Be it in education, job or in day-to-day life, one will be left far behind if not digitally literate.