There are certain skills you need in order to be comfortable around the digital environment today. When I say ‘being comfortable around the digital environment’ , I don’t necessarily mean that you should be a tech wizard. All of us can’t be tech wizards.
What I am saying is that you should be able to use your smartphone and PC to do some basic tasks. Because anyone who is not able to execute these simple tasks around the digital environment today will find it difficult to cope in this market.
So I’ll list my top 20 digital skills to be called a digital literate.
- Word processing(even with simple MSWord)
- Graphic design(even with simple canva)
- Video formatting and posting online
- Convert file from one format to another, txt to pdf, png to jpg, avi to mp4, etc.
- Conduct yourself with civility and self-respect in social media conversation. A casual unintelligent outburst can cause you problems in future.
- You should be able to analyze the processing power, RAM size, storage memory size… Of digital devices. And even battery power.
- Be able to dig out accurate information from the internet. Be able to use search engines to find what you need without getting carried away by sweet-talking advertisers. Go for fact, and know how to fact check before deciding.
- Be able to get correct software online without downloading virus.
- Be able to recognize scam message and protect yourself against illegitimate links. Don’t click on every link you see, there is a high chance that there’s a malware.
- You should be able grab/download videos, audio clips, pdf from websites online to learn, without downloading illegitimate files.
- Detect an unsafe website http:// from safe website https:// the ‘s’ means secured. But be careful. The ‘s’ is not a total guarantee but it’s a quick red flag to note.
- You should be able to create and manage a simple cash book, budget or simple namelist or simple database on Ms excel.
- You should be able use a text editor and pdf reader on your smartphone and PC.
- You should be able to back your information, media files, contacts list, important softwares and videos on the cloud. Such as Google drive. In case you lost your pc or phone. That’s a little bit of Data security, archiving and backup skills.
- You should be able to manage the space on your pc and smartphone by knowing what file to keep and what not to keep. Optimize the space to Increase processor speed.
- You should be able to keep all your usernames and passwords safe, somewhere. And you should know how to clear the browser memory in case you use your password and username in a computer that’s not yours. Or when you don’t want your computer to have the password for long.
- You should be able to protect yourself against free wifi access flying around to steal your data. Don’t be a greedy fish caught with a hook shielded with a sumptuous offer.
- You should be able to know fake social media accounts when you see them. No or little mutual friends, faceless, incoherent profile information, etc.
- You should be able to detect fake news website. They are there to fuel crisis and promote nonsense.
- You should be able to manage your time around various tasks in this digital environment, or else you’ll be distracted and get nothing done. Thank you
_Mayowa Lala
