Digital Skills Vs Digital Literacy
Have you ever wondered why some people with digital skills are broke? What really happens to a lady after she has gotten a digital skill? Is having digital skills the same as having digital literacy?
We have heard so much news on digital skills being the now and the future since the beginning of digital marketing. There are so many digital marketing jobs in Nigeria, digital marketing jobs in Africa, digital marketing jobs in the USA, digital marketing jobs in Kenya and what have you. How come we have so many digital jobs for digital skill owners and yet we have so many people who lack digital literacy?
As a tech lady, you have to understand that there is a big difference between digital skills and digital literacy. It is possible to be a front-end developer and also lack digital literacy.
What are digitals skills?
Digital skills are tech skills that can be obtained remotely which give the owners of such digital skills the ability to solve tech problems in society today. The importance of digital skills is to be able to effectively work in a digital marketing system or digital economy.
What is Digital Literacy?
On the other hand, digital literacy is knowing how these digital skills fit into the technological age, how to use digital skills to solve problems. Then how to adapt as a digital skill owner in an ever evolving tech world. This moves the techlady from mere possession of digital skills to acknowledgement of tech problems, knowing how digital skills can solve these problems and how not to go extinct even as a lady with digital skills.
Doug Belshaw an educational researcher said in his article that digital literacies are not solely about technical proficiency but about technical proficiency. And about the issues, norms, and habits of mind surrounding technologies used for a particular purpose. Let us take an insight into digital skills and digital literacy.
5 Differences between Digital Skills and Digital Literacy
Digital skills have to do with learning skills that web design and development that deals with hosting businesses on the internet. But digital literacy has to do with understanding that designing a website should not only be a matter of combinations of codes but also the consideration of users. Building a user-friendly website that helps the user navigate effectively. Knowing the right kind of website for a brand is digital literacy.
Digital skills have to do with learning graphics design so as to create designs for brands. On the other hand, digital literacy has to do with learning how to use contexts, characters, images and so on to pass brand messages. Digital literacy also tells the tech lady when a particular graphics is right for a brand.
Also, Digital skills to the social media marketer is learning how to use hashtags, how to create a social media calendar. But Digital literacy is the social media marketer learning technological times and seasons and how to adapt to marketing seasons. Digital literacy explains why you should post reels at a particular time instead of just pictures. Digital literacy shows the tech lady how to research the right hashtags for brand buyer persona.
Are you still confused?
Digital skills to the content marketer is knowing about the 7 workflows of content marketing. Digital literacy is knowing the right tools for each workflow of content marketing and how to use them.
Finally, Digital skills to the digital marketer is knowing about algorithms. Digital literacy to the same digital marketer is knowing the platforms on which these algorithms operate. And how to leverage them. Digital literacy to the digital marketer extends from just knowing that there are types of digital marketing. It moves to knowing the right time to implement email marketing or native marketing, SEM, affiliate marketing, etc.
With a lot being said already, you should understand that being a tech lady is not only about having graphics design skills, web design and development, content creation, brand design, videography, data analysis and what have you. But being a techlady is about having both the digital skills and having the digital literacy. This teaches the application with respect to settings, times, places and people. That is what being a techlady is all about!
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Leave a comment in the comment box, what else do you think about digital skills and digital literacy?
