GEN 499

Global Societal Issues

Name

Institution

Global Societal Issues

Illiteracy

Illiteracy is the state where a person is unable to interpret printed or written information to be functional in the society and be able to achieve his/her goals and the enhance general knowledge (Whiteman, 2013).People are useful creatures, even though their functions depend on their experience. Illiteracy inhibits societal ethics, in a manner that improves the healthy relationship between human beings. Personal values in the society enable people to correlate and coexist together mutually for the benefit of all individuals. Many people get confused between illiteracy and the academic performance. Adult illiteracy has got a lot of limitations to the society for example:

Increased poverty; Illiteracy discourages the rate at which human beings innovate and develop skills for their benefit. Literate people can organize their ideas and put them into practical manner for the invention of business skills that can fetch income.

Low self-esteem; Illiterate in the society lack self-esteem, this is because they lack confidence in life. Lack of confidence discriminates the capability of a person top performs well in the society.

Unemployment is promoted by Illiteracy in the sense that it makes people not to be employed because they lack the necessary credentials to access the much-needed employment. Most employees need intelligent individuals who can increase value to the companies unlike wreaking havoc due to little knowledge (Noroozian, 2014).

Overcoming digital divide

Digital era has developed significantly. In this century, digital transition is beginning realized globally. The analogue era is being faced out by high technological ideas and equipments in the society. The professional growth has been accomplished, and people are continually seeking for knowledge on the technical point of view in the digital arena (Ohemeng, 2014).

Overcoming digital divide involves a lot of stakeholders in the society. Internet diffusion is a factor that contributes to the digital divide in a predominant way. Lack of internet makes the sector to cripple. Many young people have adopted the internet as means of the daily work and routine, and this has been realized in developing and developed countries. This embrace of technology in particular by the young people spirals up the digitization of the society. The inflows of foreign investment and enough human capital by investments bring an overhaul of the digital sector by improving its means and ways of delivery to the intended users.

An encounter I have ever been in a public service vehicle on my way to a remote village to sensitise people on the importance of using a mosquito net to prevent malaria. I experience a young middle aged gentleman who could not send a text despite him having a mobile phone, Illiteracy, therefore, has to be addressed by all stakeholders of the public sector.

Literacy is a weapon that is used by all people in the society to safeguard their interests (Ghobadi, 2015). College based educated person has an advantage in the society and also should perform a lot of duties. In the event of public forum, educated people have a role to play in cooperating with the concerned government of non-governmental entities in facilitating education to the illiterate people. Literate people have a social responsibility to protect the affairs of the society like the social amenities from exploitation from the interested d outside parties. To this effect, literacy is a primary tool that enables proper coordination of human beings in their respective societies and globally at large.

Reference

Ghobadi, S., & Ghobadi, Z. (2015). How access gaps interact and shape digital divide: a cognitive investigation. Behaviour & Information Technology, 34(4), 330-340.

Noroozian, M., Shakiba, A., & Iran-Nejad, S. (2014). The impact of illiteracy on the assessment of cognition and dementia: a critical issue in the developing countries. International psychogeriatrics, 26(12), 2051-2060.

Ohemeng, F. L. K., & Ofosu-Adarkwa, K. (2014). Overcoming the Digital Divide in Developing Countries: An Examination of Ghana’s Strategies to Promote Universal Access to Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). Journal of Developing Societies, 30(3), 297-322.

Street, B. V. (2014). Social literacies: Critical approaches to literacy in development, ethnography and education. Routledge.

Whiteman, M. F. (2013). Writing: The nature, development, and teaching of written communication. Routledge.