What sort of literacy is needed in the digital age?

When thinking about this subject, I can’t help but think about the how literacies are acquired or learned. Not being a digital native, much of what people would consider tech literacy (participation in digital discourses) I learned in college. By learned, I mean that I was taught in how to use email, computer word processing, and how to navigate online environments.

I learned these literacies and more because I wanted to be a participator in the discourse of those who use technology for educational purposes and because I was able to explore areas of interest not taught in school through use of the internet. Once I had learned the basics, perhaps I began to acquire tech literacy because I now could see what it could afford me. To be able to do this, however, I needed to be a native in print literacy and have access to the discourse community of higher education that utilized technology.

My answer to this question, therefore, may be very different from someone younger. I would say that the “digital age” part of the question is irrelevant to a degree. I would ask, “What sort of literacy is needed to be a participator in society?” Since what counts as participation in society is socially constructed, in a context that values devices, immediacy, and connectivity, the literacies that are necessary for this are conventions of engaging in a multimodal environment (use of computers, tablets, smartphones, various modes of media).