Mont wanted to update his resume, but his technologically savvy niece didn’t want to help him. He sought to convert a PDF into a Word document and save both versions on his device. Mont surprised me when said he didn’t know how to perform the procedure. I offered to help, thus, the blind lead the blind.
Mont kept the document on an old iPad. I’ve never used Apple products; my lineage is Microsoft. Using his device, neither of us could figure out how to replace Mont’s PDF with a Word document he could edit. I had Mont email me the PDF, which I converted to Word on my system, and returned to him via email. The process, although a tad cumbersome, was successful.
***
I long have considered myself digitally literate because I could send email, and peck out documents on a keyboard using Microsoft Word, even WordPerfect. I knew how to use Adobe Pro, various timekeeping programs, databases, and specialty software for lawyers. All this while I still worked full-time, of course. Today, when I look around at the rapid pace of developing technology, I realize I was just cocky.
The phrase “digital literacy” has changed. It now means “having the skills to thrive in a society where communication and access to information are increasingly done via digital technologies, such as online platforms and mobile devices.” See “Why ‘digital literacy’ is now a workplace non-negotiable,” by Alex Christian, BBC, https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220923-why-digital-literacy-is-now-a-workplace-non-negotiable (9-26-22) (emphasis added). I feel barely adequate to keep abreast let alone “thrive.” I am like a fish out of water in an environment that depends on “real-time, collaborative software, live workplace chat apps[,] and sophisticated asynchronous work tools.” (Id.) I’m not prepared “to use technology strategically.” Id.
Thank god there is Mont to help salvage my self-respect.
***
It is widely taken for granted that old farts like me lack digital skills, but the reality appears to be that digital illiteracy is a more widespread phenomenon. For example, Forbes has reported that as of 2021 almost one-half of the people in the European Union between the ages of 16 to 74 lacked basic digital skills. See https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2023/11/07/the-digital-divide-addressing-tech-and-ai-illiteracy-for-our-future/ (11-7-23).
Indeed, I was surprised to read that even as millennial and Generation Z populations are efficient consumers of technology –they send pictures, share videos, texts, and other short-form communications— “they are far less adept at understanding how to use technology to create useful solutions to their business challenges…” See “New study explores digitally native but technologically illiterate students,” by Christine Billau, University of Toledo, https://phys.org/news/2021-05-explores-digitally-native-technologically-illiterate.html.
The negative implications of being digitally ignorant should not be underestimated. There is a “digital divide” between society’s “haves” and “have-nots” that academics have been studying for some time. This gap results more from socio-economic factors than educational factors or native intelligence. Predictably, as with most things in this life, poor people are left at a serious disadvantage.
I have some indirect experience from my volunteer work as a reading tutor. Before I finally settled in with young Zoey, the program assigned me other students who were forced to drop out because they had no access to a computer or reliable internet service and no basic training in using this technology.
***
To complicate matters, almost overnight modern life has come to depend on the perceived benefits of artificial intelligence. Once more this is changing what it means to be digitally literate. “AI literacy is not about turning everyone into an AI specialist. Instead, it’s about equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills to understand, use, and interact with AI responsibly and effectively. It’s about enabling people to make informed decisions about AI technologies, understand their implications, and navigate the ethical considerations they present.” “What is AI Literacy? A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners” (Aug. 2023) found at https://www.datacamp.com/blog/what-is-ai-literacy-a-comprehensive-guide-for-beginners.
I am familiar with its growing impact on my chosen profession, whether this involves performing legal research or drafting legal briefs or other documents. I also am familiar with its potential pitfalls. Already it’s been settled that a lawyer’s professional responsibilities can’t simply be delegated to a machine. Judging how lawyers perform in an AI world will be fraught, and woe to the lawyer who fails to consider the consequences of utilizing this evolving technology.
***
I recently asked Zoey to prepare a short essay about two novels I gave her at the end of the school year. She submitted it so promptly that I wondered whether she wrote without assistance. I discussed this issue with Professor John, who is Mont’s roommate. He agreed that it is a real problem in the age of AI. He told me about software he uses to analyze suspicious writings that his college-level students submit.
I’m not prepared to go so far with Zoey, whose past performances have earned her the benefit of the doubt with me. However, I will gently touch on the importance of writing ethically when we meet a few weeks from now to start the tutoring year.
