By Andrew Atchison
Before the dawn of the computer, literacy was measured by a person’s ability to read. Over the years, however, technology has advanced so greatly and became so intertwined with education, professions, and social life that the quality of being literate not only includes reading abilities, but also the ability to manipulate technology to gain information. Increasing digital literacy involves learning about the new technologies available in order to use them to gain knowledge. In the past, high schools and colleges offered courses designed to introduce the students to information technology, but in modern times, it is expected of most students to have a wide variety of knowledge in the technological field before they enroll in classes. According to the Alabama Association of School Librarians, “The degree to which students can read and understand text in all formats (e.g., picture, video, print) and all contexts is a key indicator of success in school and in life” (http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/learning-standards). It seems as if the standard to be successful has evolved as well.
Some good…
With such an advancement in the area of information technology, most students and professionals alike have seen a significant reduction in the complexity of their respective work. With the click of a mouse, the internet opens the door to what seems like an infinite amount of knowledge just waiting to be read. In the Professional Writing community, the once daunting tasks of finding, viewing, and citing sources for academic work have been made dramatically easier and less time consuming. Sites like “citationmachine.com” and “knightcite.com” have made the once tedious task of writing citations a breeze. Now, all you have to do is type in the necessary information and the website places all of the punctuation marks where they are supposed to be.
Some not so good…
It seems as if the change in literacy standards has worked out for the best, but still, we must think of the older population and those who are in a lower socioeconomic class. While the use of computers and the internet is relatively wide spread, there are still some that have no desire to learn how to use them, the older population in particular. Does this make them illiterate? In a traditional sense, not if they have the ability to read, but in the mindset of the Information Age, they are illiterate. If there is no reason for one to use the latest and greatest technology in their daily lives, then why learn about it? Conforming to the societal standard of literacy is of no use to a retiree who spends his or her time fishing, golfing, or relaxing. Even though it is expected for students to have and use technology on a regular basis, those who are less fortunate see internet as a luxury. The problem in society used to be educating children to read, but that problem has been almost eradicated with the expansion of the educational system. Now, the problem is poverty and internet accessibility. Cheap, reliable internet access is not available in all areas.
Are the advancements in technology helping us or not?
Although the internet contains a vast amount of educational information, are people actually using it for educational purposes? Someone once told me that all the internet is good for is sharing pictures of cute cats. Even with the wide range of information available, it seems that most find the internet to be a source of entertainment rather than knowledge. Since smartphones have gained popularity, owners have had infinite knowledge at their fingertips, but smartphones are mainly used for sharing pictures of cute cats. Social websites, created for connecting with friends, are more often used for this purpose. One must question whether social media is truly social. Some find it easier to socialize online rather than in person, but is it really socializing if not in a physical setting? The implications of technology’s rapid advancement are numerous but not always in its favor. With the creation of websites like “citationmachine.com,” is the academic population losing its ability to manually cite sources? Maybe. Why does one need to know where all the correct punctuation marks in a citation go if there is a website that generates the citation for us? As long as there is a citation generator, that particular knowledge is not necessary. Society is losing its ability to go to the library and manually research information. While technology has made academic lives dramatically easier, it has also dumbed them down quite a bit. With the use of technology, we must be careful not to lose the ability to do work manually.
