Last week in part 1, we talked about platformization and how it affects (sometimes dictates) everything we do online. And, it slowly penetrates the offline activities with sensors, voice assistants and other Internet of Things applications.
So I propose a different, a more comprehensive understanding of literacies. In this perspective, we consider not only the “use” of something but also the “make” of it.
Let me explain this in a different context: Today when we buy food, we have the option of buying “organic”, “fair trade” and “sustainable.” We recognize not just the “use” (nutritional label) and but also the “make” of that particular item.
We are free to buy whatever we want, but now we have the awareness. By purchasing that one item, we support one side or another.
This is the same with clothing brands as well.
How did this happen?
It started with awareness campaigns: “Look, something is wrong with the food industry.”
Then, awareness met with action: “Hey, we did something that’s fair, healthy and sustainable.”
Finally, us: “Ok. Now I know. I can still do whatever I want and I am aware of the consequences."
Now imagine how this can translate to digital landscapes:
“Look, something is funky with all these digital economies.”
Satoshi comes up: “Yo! I made something. It might be useful.”
Then other folks chimed in: “Yea. We did this, too, for similar reasons.”
Finally, us: “Ok, now we know.”
We are in somewhere between step 3 and 4 at the moment. My goal, at least, with this tiny essay is to crack open that “Ok, now we know” part a little bit more.
And, I am not gonna say something totally original.
Literacy scholars have already been poking things for decades. In the beginning, people (like me) thought literacy is a solely cognitive process that has nothing to do with context (Some people still do: see “growth mindset theory”).
But in the late 90s, some researchers said “wait a minute. This so-called ‘independent (autonomous) literacy’ model doesn’t explain what’s really happening.” They claimed literacies depend on contexts. And, they are social practices.
Does the late 90s ring a bell? Yea, Web 1.0 is coming full force. And, it’s changing what we know as literacies as well.
As web2 advanced, we entered a highly social, interactive and affinity based digital world. Now we are talking literacies in a world that is multimodal, hybrid, informal, polylingual and transcultural... It’s like matrix in a matrix in a matrix (you got it).
Web2 brought all these communication and user-facing connection innovations to us. So, it’s called “frontend revolution.” And, many of us thought of literacies reflecting these changes: digital literacies.
“How do we use these new tech-based connection tools effectively?”
“How do they affect the social world like economy, politics, science (...) ?”
We have seen the way people live, work, learn (and also uprise) changed.
If we look at what current digital literacies, it’s more about finding info, critically analyzing it, sharing and communication (1). It’s more focused on “use”, even the critical perspective is about the “use.”
The case is similar in financial literacies - budgeting, credit score, saving and investing...
None of these cover the “make” of tech.
But we started to notice how these technologies “make” things. When I say things, we can think “monies $$”, data (processing), business models, influence, competition, marketing, ownership, decision-making and so on... business-y stuff. And, we also saw how these affect our life.
Now, if we make a quick search, we will also see most blockchain/web3-related educational content (and initiatives) are about the use:
“What is DeFi, DAO, NFT, DID?”
“How to create a wallet?”
“Intro to blockchain,”
Or if you go more technical:
“Solidity development,”
I am not saying these are “not cool”, they are. But, they are also incomplete.They are not addressing one of the core proposal web3 brings:
“What does it mean to own your digital life?”
“How do we govern organizations in a decentralized ways?”
“How can we use various resources (such as VC, grants, communities, talent) to create a something better and bolder?”
There are 3-levels of web3 literacies (I use blockchain/web3 in this essay):
Level 1: Ability to navigate through these technologiesLevel 2: Ability to use these environments for value creation in short to medium termsLevel 3: Ability to make informed decisions for sustainable value in the long term
The questions I pose above hits the level 3. Just like web2 was about level 2 by nature, blockchain is inherently about Level 3.
This is one of my first stabs at literacies levels. This essay is not about finding answers, but more questions. And building initial frameworks. Good questions - Questions that inspire, prompt action and kick our curiosity.
Feel free to question what I wrote. Challenge them if you will. Let’s start the conversation.
I also have a challenge for you this week. You know Chat GPT is all the rage now: “How AI will change [insert here any topic you want]”
In fact, it’s the fastest growing app in the history. Now, I challenge you to ask some “make” questions while holding off all “use” questions for a bit:
Who owns and governs it?
What happens to data?What’s the business model?
How does this new app sit with web3 ethos, and/or web2?
Come up with more questions or even answers for us.
PS: Just for clarification, I do not propose questions to color something black or white. The proposal here is to ask different questions.
PPS: These ideas don’t come from thin air. Here are some outstanding scholars I benefited when writing this piece:Nichols, T. P., & Garcia, A. (2022). Platform Studies in Education. Van Dijck, J. (2021). Seeing the forest for the trees: Visualizing platformization and its governance. Voshmgir, S. (2020). Token Economy: How the Web3 reinvents the Internet. Street, B. V. (1997). Social Literacies.
PPPS: Photo by Jezael Melgoza on Unsplash