September 8th is UNESCO’s International Literacy Day. This year the theme is ‘Literacy in a digital world’:
At record speed, digital technologies are fundamentally changing the way people live, work, learn and socialise everywhere. They are giving new possibilities to people to improve all areas of their lives including access to information; knowledge management; networking; social services; industrial production, and mode of work. However, those who lack access to digital technologies and the knowledge, skills and competencies required to navigate them, can end up marginalised in increasingly digitally driven societies. Literacy is one such essential skill.
Just as knowledge, skills and competencies evolve in the digital world, so does what it means to be literate. In order to close the literacy skills gap and reduce inequalities, this year’s International Literacy Day will highlight the challenges and opportunities in promoting literacy in the digital world, a world where, despite progress, at least 750 million adults and 264 million out-of-school children still lack basic literacy skills.
International Literacy Day is celebrated annually worldwide and brings together governments, multi- and bilateral organizations, NGOs, private sectors, communities, teachers, learners and experts in the field. It is an occasion to mark achievements and reflect on ways to counter remaining challenges for the promotion of literacy as an integral part of lifelong learning within and beyond the 2030 Education Agenda.
In the past days I’ve been preparing for a conference talk this weekend and its has become clear to me that digital literacy is of key importance for helping individuals to engage with urban technologies and exercise digital agency. It is through digital literacy that people living in cities will be able to understand and make informed decisions with regard to the use and impact of emerging technologies. Smartphones, the Internet of Things, driverless cars, drones, artificial intelligence and automation can be very daunting and their implications unclear.
A common response to the perceived imposition of digital technologies is to try to disconnect. It is up to the individual to determine to what extent they engage with such technologies. However, ignoring these technologies altogether is no solution. At the very least we have to provide the opportunity for those that are sufficiently capable to be able to inform themselves, enabling them to more effectively assess the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies. We need to move away from the kind of binary thinking that leads to an all or nothing approach to technology. Fostering digital literacy is key for helping individuals and communities negotiate lives that are increasingly mediated by digitally technologies.
At the conference on Monday afternoon I’ll be presenting my paper ‘Opening Urban Mirror Worlds: Possibilities for Participation in Digital Urban Dataspaces’. In this talk I’ll discuss some of the ways in which technologies like virtual and augmented reality might be used to give people access urban data. I’ll also be part of a panel discussing ‘Engagement in the Smart City’. Further details can be found on the conference website: Whose Right To The Smart City.
Virtual Architectures 