Reflection #5: Why is digital literacy important?

This week, we were asked to listen to a talk with Dr. Bonnie Stewart. She discussed datafication, algorithmic systems, and their impact on society, education, and digital literacy. In this talk, she highlights that technology is now embedded in our daily lives, in spaces where we learn, work, and make decisions.

Is technology neutral?

Stewart explained that technologies reinforce existing power structures, particularly benefiting large tech companies and wealthy individuals. Through datafication, which is the process of turning human behaviour into data, our actions, identities, and decisions are constantly tracked, analyzed, and monetized. This creates systems in which power and control are held by fewer and fewer people and organizations, leading to individuals losing control over their own data. Learning about this made me wonder how much data i give away daily without even realizing.

Another point that stood out was how difficult it is to opt out of these systems. The example of needing devices for things like accessing services or even logging into school platforms made me realize how dependent we’ve become. It’s not as simple as just choosing not to participate, which makes the issue even more complex.

To reflect on what I learned, I’ve created an infographic using Canva, listing some ways to practice digital literacy!