This week’s reading had me nodding vigorously in agreement with the arguments, reflections, and reports made throughout. The older readings are still relevant (for better or worse), even if the particulars of the technology being referred to has changed. 21st Century Digital Divide had me reflecting on my own experience of being on both sides of the “digital divide”.
Tech related knowledge seemingly happened by osmosis for my peers. I was painfully aware that youth was not synonymous with innate technological know-how. The common advice for older generations bewildered by new technology was, (often still is) to “ask a young person”. I was unfortunately not that person, for myself or anyone else. Equally frustrating were suggestions to “go to YouTube” to figure out whatever issue needed to be solved. That’s solid advice if you have an innate interest in your subject matter -the joy of exploration! I did not. Sifting through search results without guidance felt more akin to punishment. While YouTube is an amazing resource for many things, it is frustrating to traverse when you don’t know what you don’t know- only that you are lost. While I had access to the technology itself, there was little in the way of education or guidance to apply it. Having access to technology is of little use if you don’t know how to use it.
Learning only the very minimal technical literacy required to get by in school came at a cost which came due later. Many of the things that people learned to do through using social channels or other programs translated to other useful ways of navigating education, the workplace, the world. As a teen I didn’t want to be outed as a luddite, so I didn’t ask for help. Thankfully, I have since caught up, but this experience stayed with me. I have so much empathy for anyone who doesn’t know how to even ask the right questions for help.
Technical literacy is vital to functioning in the world today and it pains me that the people who could most benefit from it might not know its available. It takes courage to ask questions, and libraries can be a safe space to do so. Dedicated tech literacy drop in times are a good way to offer resources to people of all ages who need guidance. Libraries have risen to this challenge: according to a 2023 technology survey by the Public Library Association 95.3% of US libraries offer some kind of digital literacy training. This is heartening.
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Building a culture of literacy is crucial to people’s well being; it cultivates agency, and builds ones capacity to collaborate within community. It is integral to the fabric of our democracy (Williams & Muller, 2021). Access to literacy is only one half of the equation; action must be taken to ensure its barriers can be surmounted.
References:
https://ilovelibraries.org/article/new-survey-looks-at-evolving-library-tech-trends/
https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2021/03/libraries-are-bridging-the-digital-divide/
https://www.librarian.net/talks/rlc14/
@rpage This: “I have so much empathy for anyone who doesn’t know how to even ask the right questions for help.” Such a lovely thought and I so appreciate the honesty on this reflection. The doodles are perfect.
Apologies for missing this on my first round!
I really appreciate this post. Learning how to use new technology is difficult for me too. The advice I always get is to have fun and play with it, but it isn’t interesting or fun to me at all. I really need systematic instruction on how to use things and that can be difficult to find. The good news is that I am good at helping people with tech questions at the library because I understand where they are coming from.
Hi Carrie, thanks for your comment. Systematic instruction (at least initially) for new modalities is crucial. Having someone- whether next to you in person or watching a tutorial- really break a process down without skipping over steps can’t be overstated. Like you mentioned yourself regarding helping people with tech in the library, sometimes the best teachers are the ones who get the struggle because we can identify the stuck points. They are lucky to have you!