From Media Education to Digital Literacy: A Paradigm Change?

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the cultural and educational shift from mass media to digital technologies. It is described with the category of the multiscreen society: its main element is the multiplication of the screens in social environment and, with it, the transformation of the modalities and significance of our sight on the things. Watch the reality with other eyes, means also to build knowledge in a different way and, finally, to accept to live in this new environment whose main character is the integration of virtual dimension into real life. This is the reason why a part of the chapter is devoted to defining the new technological devices as social objects able to become subjects of social acts. The conclusion is that traditional forms of media education must upgrade to digital literacy. In doing so, it becomes possible to prepare youngsters to become citizens of this new social environment. In this case, may be that digital literacy will be really the education of our next future.