Digital Fluency

Abstract

In a highly digitalised society, digital exclusion can be defined as the inequalities created by the inability to access and use digital technologies. However, digital exclusion is more complex than simply a result of an inability to access the digital world. The ability to link and switch seamlessly between online and offline worlds is becoming a critical element of digital engagement. In this chapter, digital fluency is employed as a broader concept than digital literacy to encapsulate new competencies that are increasingly required in the digital age. Multiple realities, both online and offline, are becoming increasingly interwoven, and yet operate separately within their own unique systems. Digital fluency refers to the ability to be adept in the online world as well as switch between these multiple modes. Drawing from empirical investigations on users’ adaptability and usage of digital technologies, this chapter summarises the most important skills needed in the digitalised world.