By Mercy Kwamboka
Are you digital literate? This question emerged during a media and information literacy conference attended by stakeholders. It’s a self-assessment that we all should conduct.
Evidently, technology has made access to information easier through the digital devices from anywhere anytime. The question is, which content are you subscribed to? The self-assessment should answer the questions on what, where and why you are consuming the kind of content you have chosen.
According to Wikipedia, digital literacy is defined as an individual’s ability to find, evaluate and communicate information by utilising typing or digital media platforms.
Being content conscious calls upon self-discipline in avoiding harmful and addictive content, which in turn may influence personal behaviour, affect time management and snatch ones’ time to get enough rest, or concentration and paying attention to responsibilities including work and general lifestyle.
Therefore, the amount of time spent on social media is equivalent to the content consumed and it’s an individual’s responsibility to resist the pleasure of subscribing to harmful content which in the process may be misinformation and disinformation thus affecting one’s social life and mental health.
The approach to self-assessment should be ‘what am I subscribed to and why’. Alternatives to kill social media addictiveness include reading informative material, books, and trying out new hobbies. Anyone with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills or with the ability to use digital devices is considered literate by the outside world.
But in the current growing digital world, digital literacy focuses on content creation and consumption. The audience needs to be equipped with knowledge and skills in selecting and choosing the right content to consume.
The writer is a media analyst at the Media Council of Kenya