Smartphones and Digital Literacy

Is digital literacy that comes from using a smartphone the same as digital literacy from using a computer? It’s a great question, because the majority of Internet users in the world only have broadband access through a smartphone. In developing nations, 90 percent of broadband users only have access to a smartphone. In the U.S., 16 percent of adults only use a smartphone to reach the Internet. There are skills needed to master using a computer that can’t be learned from using a smartphone. Computer users learn to use a mouse and to type; even people who speak to a computer need the mouse and keyboard. People working on computers learn how to create, save, and manage files. Computer users learn how to use operating systems and software programs. By contrast, smartphone users mostly learn how to use apps. I’m sure that many smartphone users are fully literate in terms of being able to navigate the web. But that doesn’t mean they have the digital skills that employers are looking for. And that begs the question of what it means to be digitally literate.