13. Opportunities and Challenges: Digital Literacy and Society

Here, Dr Emma Pauncefort digs into the debate on the misalignment of education with the skills demanded by our current 4th Industrial Revolution, commonly dubbed ‘C21st skills’ and defined by the World Economic Forum as falling into 3 categories: foundational literacies, competencies and character qualities. She argues that the very human skill or practical knowledge that is digital literacy and the training it should give in meaningfully and mindfully navigating information, cuts across this esteemed skillset. In other words, Emma presents digital literacy as the skill par excellence in countering the threat of technological unemployment and becoming C21st ready.