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How much does your level of digital literacy impact your day to day? Regardless of how you found yourself reading this blog—be it right on Keypoint Intelligence’s website, our weekly newsletter, or LinkedIn—you have to be digitally literate (to some degree) to get here! More businesses are looking to hire people who are familiar with using digital tools—or, in other words, have digital literacy.
Digital literacy isn’t seen in the same light as it used to; it was previously more related to reading and understanding information under the general media literacy bubble. Today, digital literacy reflects the knowledge and ability to work across various devices, platforms, and tools. This is especially important when diving into how digital platforms play into a company’s workflow, between communicating and collaborating with coworkers on the same team. As with anything, the more you know, the more you’ll be able to keep up.
It’s already an expectation in and out of work. Society has become incredibly digitized—the more we participate in this increasingly digital society, the shift in the technology we use naturally leads to increased participation (especially between those in younger generations). However, not everyone is as well-versed in digital technology as everyone else. Research conducted by the National Skills Coalition shows that only about one in three workers in the US have minimum skills needed to help them work through tasks that require digital literacy (or none at all), leaving a large chunk of the workforce behind.
That said, digital literacy goes beyond just being able to simply participate and interact with others via emerging tech. Focusing in on it directly affects the workplace, as digital literacy has become a crucial part of boosting productivity within organizations. As previously implied, an individual’s knowledge of how to use new technology to communicate with others and collaborate with them is imperative. If they’re using tech they don’t fully grasp, you can expect that it will take longer to complete projects, costing organizations financially in the long run and decreasing productivity.
Despite the benefits in communication and collaboration, so many organizations have yet to properly ensure that their employees are capable of performing tasks. Findings shared by Go1 earlier in 2022 state that while 44% of organizations have digital programs in place, 88% of organizations in the same pool have done nothing to address the lack of digital literacy skills their employees might possess. What can be gathered here is that, while there is a growing expectation to utilize digital tools, many companies aren’t preparing their employees to properly use them. This is alarming considering the percentage of employed workers we looked at that don’t know how to use the technology.
Keypoint Intelligence Opinion
Embracing digital literacy isn’t just a trend—it’s now a standard for employment. As the labor market is becoming more digitized (with no chance of it slowing down), no one should settle for the level of knowledge they currently have. Constantly adapting yourself to new digital tools as they are introduced to prevent being behind the curve is probably more important than simply being able work across devices and platforms.
Confidence is key here, and employers should encourage and educate their employees to have the skills needed to succeed/increase productivity in the modern work environment through digital literacy training. So, what are you waiting for? Now’s the time to brush up on your digital literacy skills and tackle virtual workflows head-on!
If you are interested in learning more about digital literacy, log in to the InfoCenter to access the research available through our Office CompleteView Advisory Service. If you’re not a subscriber, just send us an email at sales@keypointintelligence.com for more info.