What counts as literacy?How literacy changes in response to the new media landscape?

Literacy is the ability to read and write (Merrian-Webster’s,2013). In order to move forward we must break apart and dissect the definition of literacy according to the dictionary.  There are three key words in the definition.  The first, ability, can be represented as having the skills to do something (Merrian-Webster’s,2013).   With this definition we can take away that literacy involves having the skills to read and write.  The second key word in the definition of literacy is read, which definition is, to look at and understand the meaning of letters, words, and symbols (Merrian-Webster’s,2013).  Now we can rewrite the original definition of literacy as, having the skills to look at and understand the meaning of letters, words, and symbols, and write.  This leads us to the third and final key word, write, which is define as, to form (as characters or symbols) on a surface with an instrument (Merrian-Webster’s,2013).  With a further understanding of all the key words in the definition of literacy, we can now, summarize literacy as, having the skills to, look at and understand the meaning of letters words, symbols, and forming characters or symbols on a surface with an instrument.  Therefore, any piece that was written using any set of characters, that someone can understand and make sense of is consider literacy.  It does not matter whether it is formal English or newer versions of electronic language.

The internet has brought a great deal of changes to our lives.  We no longer need to write letters to communicate messages across continents, a simple email or text message suffice. We do not need to visit a library to find rich texts, now we simply download them from the comfort of our homes. Along these changes have also come simpler forms of literacy.  These simpler forms of literacy did not happen overnight as some claim, they have happened over a period of nearly 20 years, since the exposure to emails, text messages, and ereaders.  Many scholars are outraged by these adaptations of the English language. In my opinion they are just natural progressions of the language. These changes lead to a simpler more accessible language for all. Whereas before the more formal aspects of the language where only open to does with high levels of education. These new ways we write have opened the door to access of information to those who were previously labeled as illiterate.  Some of the people involved in the argument about literacy seem to forget the purpose of literacy is one of encouraging communication.  New literacies create a space where the formally educated and the informally educated can communicate.

In conclusion, literacy involves the skills of being able to communicate with others using some form of writing.  Literacy has been adapted throughout time to meet the needs of those who want to communicate with others. Whether we agree or not with modern changes, we must embrace them because they are the future.  “literacy is a process which continues throughout life. To be literate is not to have arrived at some pre-determined destination, but to utilize reading, writing and speaking skills so that our understanding of the world is progressively enhanced.”(Mackie,1980)