The Role of Gen Z in Boosting Digital Literacy for an AI-Driven Future

Generation has taken a larger and more prominent role within society particularly within the topic of Artificial Intelligence( AI) and its growth and how it relates to the future of digital literacy.  According to a study done by the telecommunication company Ericsson, it was found that 95% of the Generation Z community own a smartphone. Unlike past generations, Generation Z has been afforded the opportunity to interact with and use digital technology such as smartphones, tablets, computers and desktops. In addition, they have become increasingly comfortable with and used to these devices.  Gen Z is able to quickly adapt to new technology and has a genuine excitement for its use. 

According to ICT360, the word digital literacy can be understanded as the ability to find, evaluate, and produce information on digital platforms. A significant way Gen Z is advancing digital literacy is through the creation of content on various platforms. . Platforms like YouTube and TikTok have become valuable resources where Gen Z shares knowledge about new technologies, including AI technology. Gen Z has been involved in both projects and initiatives focusing on the future of AI and has used these platforms to share their knowledge on that topic. Gen Z has used their knowledge gained to produce innovative solutions to combat how quickly AI has moved and also ways to integrate AI in our daily life. 

On top of that, Gen Z has been involved in making sure AI is ethically used in society. Not only limited to AI, Gen Z has been involved in advocating for laws that responsibly used  information and digital ethics within society.  They are  pushing for more transparency and fairness in how AI is developed and used. They  are not just worried about how tech works—they’re also thinking about how it impacts privacy and ethics within society.

References:

1. GilPress. (2024, January 31). How many people own smartphones? (2024-2029). What’s the Big Data? https://whatsthebigdata.com/smartphone-stats/

2. Digital Literacy and its growing significance among Gen Z. (n.d.). Www.ict360.com. https://www.ict360.com/blog/Digital-Literacy-and-its-growing-significance-among-Gen-Z