Broad Societal Issues

2. Digital Literacy and Skills Issues

Among the broad societal issues arising from the growing use of digital technologies in communications and in the creation of content and services are those related to the development of human capital – to better function in the workplace and as citizens in general. The societal issues raised are grouped in the following three areas:

  • Digital literacy and creativity;
  • Investment in workplace skills;
  • Citizen engagement with public and private sector service providers.

The following subsections outline how each of these issue areas relates to the pertinence of creating a national digital strategy.

2.1 Digital Literacy and Creativity

It is obvious to anyone that digital proficiency at some basic level is required in many aspects of everyday living.10 Digital tools such as the Internet, Google, Facebook, iPhone (or RIM’s Bold), iPod or GPS are becoming the basic level of digital literacy. Digital communications represent a transformative force reshaping society in a way not felt since the industrial revolution. It is the new steel that made possible the manufacture of new kinds of products. Digital literacy and digital tools are essential at work, at play, to access everyday services, and to stay in touch.

The digital world is one of connectivity – at the office, at home, via mobile phone. Digital technologies are increasingly being used to create online communities, build new social media and to share user-generated content. These new avenues for social change extend Canada’s borders, bringing Canada and the world together in ways unimaginable just one generation ago. This transformation has given creative individuals a more effective means of collaborating on activities and projects – be they artistic, business, public service or other. 11

Digital tools are also the currency of creativity that leads to new intellectual property, whether expressed in copyrightable works or patents from invention. They are highly relevant to the development of a more creative society. In this way, innovative software tools and web-based applications for connectivity and productivity are critical to innovation and the development of a knowledge economy.

A national digital strategy should acknowledge the central role of digital tools and the consequent need for continuous learning and adopting new ways in which society works and organizes itself. This need goes beyond the specific industries of communications and culture, affecting society in the complete range of social and economic activity. Thus, one of the broad issues to be addressed is the role of public institutions in development and fostering of digital literacy and creativity.

10 Digital literacy can be viewed as a subset of general computer or IT literacy; however, in this context it focuses on the use of digital communications and the creation and distribution of content and services on digital platforms.

11 Peter Nicholson, President of the Council of Canadian Academies, recently wrote about the “Information-rich and the attention-poor” and the demands of a “24 hour knowledge cycle.” He observes that “knowledge is evolving from a ‘stock’ to a ‘flow’ because it is constantly being updated as a result of the three technologies that drive the information revolution – computation, data transmission and data storage. See page A21, September 12, 2009 in the Globe and Mail.

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