Tag: Economy technology

Digital Literacy

 In the times of increasing dependency on digital technology, digital literacy plays a vital role for learning or working in this virtual world. Digital literacy refers to the skills and knowledge to access and use the digital technology responsibly.It is also called the survival skill in this digital world. 

It does not only mean the knowledge to use digital platforms, it also includes other skills such as critical thinking, practical and functional skills, efficient communication, curating information, collaboration, creativity, E-safety, cultural and social understanding, required while operating a digital platform. Digital literacy is extremely important to overcome the obstacles while learning or working in the digital era. 

It does not refer to just a technical know-how or the ability to read content online. It includes the understanding of basic rules, social practices and ethics while using cyberspace. The digital world is filled with information on various topics. It becomes imperative to know how to access and consume credible information. Awareness about the fact that every piece of information received online may not be true is extremely important. 

Most of the content online is shareable. Therefore it is important to check the credibility of the information and know the impact that the shared information can have on others. The content is also searchable. So it is important to know how to search for relevant information. Not every information we see online may be the latest one, its relevance needs to be checked before consuming or sharing it further. 

The cyberspace is interconnected with each other, people can connect here easily. Digital communication is always two-way.  Most of the content has the option to receive feedback. So it is an important aspect of digital literacy to learn effective communication skills for the digital platform. Communication can be both formal or informal in cyberspace. Nowadays, a number of career options require online collaboration and digital communication skills. 

The online behaviour of users also plays an important role. Often people do not realise the consequence of their actions online and take their digital presence for granted. Digital literacy makes people aware to make a safe cyberspace and avoid cyber bullying, abuse and harassment. It is crucial to know about the basic internet safety measures like setting a strong password, maintaining password secrecy, privacy settings in social media, reporting fake accounts etc. 

Digital literacy is being promoted in educational institutions so that the students can find and consume accurate information. The students can access diverse learning content from the digital space, especially from the facilities like the digital library. 

In this constantly changing world of technology, Digital Literacy is a lifelong learning process. The basic knowledge of functioning digitally and constantly learning about the latest updates and features of cyberspace has become essential in today’s world. 

Internet: The Global Village

 Modern technology and the internet has connected us all globally. We can easily watch a music video or film from another country or get updates about the international news within seconds. Be it the Olympics being held in Tokyo or an update from the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, we have access to everything through the internet. It has made us a part of the “Global Village”

“Global Village” was a term coined in 1964 by a media and communication theorist, Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan believed that with the emergence of new electronic media and technological advances, the whole world would be a part of the “Global Village”. He believed that there would be total involvement by each and every person. He called it “one world interconnected by an electronic nervous system.” The electric age will be the age of inclusiveness and deep personal involvement. 

Internet as the global village

On the internet everyone is the producer as well as the consumer of content. People are involved extensively by getting updates, sharing opinions and creating content. The Internet is used for information, education and entertainment. 

The Internet as the Global Village connects us with the world. It leads to cultural intermingling by breaking the cultural barrier and knowing more about cultures of other continents. This cultural impact can be negative or positive. It can lead to the shrinking as well as expanding of world culture. 

It also promotes unity and togetherness among different communities across the world. People express their solidarity or support to other countries through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook,  Instagram etc. In the black lives matter movement last year, people across the globe united against racism and many used social media to show their protest. 


It has made the flow of information easier. We can receive constant updates across the globe without much effort, just by using the internet. Gone are the days when we had to wait for days to receive a letter. The internet helps in the process of communication across different countries. It is so simple to connect with people worldwide by using social media, calling, texting, video meetings etc. Especially during the pandemic, the world was connected to each other using the internet. 

It has also opened up new job opportunities. People can work from home for a company situated in a different country using the internet or work as a freelancer and have clients from different parts of the world. With the popularization of online meeting apps like Zoom and Google Meet, it has become easy to work virtually, no matter where the company is located. It has also helped in building a new form of trade to different countries. E-commerce has made it easy to buy things from different areas through online payment. 

Internet has connected us with the rest of the world and has built a global community which is similar to what is popularly termed as a Global Village. 


Digital Economy

The Digital Economy refers to economic transactions that occur on the Internet. 
Economic transaction simply means the transfer of goods and services money.

Over time due to the continuous evolution of technology life has become smoother. 
The benefits of the digital economy are there for everyone to catch a glimpse of namely-
Increase in online businesses
Higher transparency
Easy availability of services
But it’s only one side of the coin. While the advantages of the digital economy are remarkable, it is also responsible for creating some inequalities in society as well.
Unemployment
Increased cybercrimes
Lack of security
The solution to the issue of inequalities in the digital economy lies in the hands of the establishment and the users of the technology. 
The government must form effective strategies in regards to educating the public & handling grievances through strings laws. Plus people should know their responsibilities and avert from taking advantage of the less informed.