Digital Literacy; Communications and Online Activity: Lauderdale County, AL - Households

Digital literacy is the “ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.” This definition of digital literacy from the American Library Association succinctly describes the goals of measuring and improving the digital literacy in a community. Technology skills are critical for competing in the global, digital economy, and for fully leveraging internet connectivity for improving quality of life.
The charts above compare the average self-reported digital literacy of residents in the community as well as those in other Connected communities among various communications platforms and online activities. Some of the platforms and applications, (such as e-mail and cybersafety), represent the most basic ways of leveraging the internet for communications, while others, (such as online job searching, social media, and e-banking, etc.), are more advanced skills used on the job or elsewhere or to access information for improving ones quality of life.