What’s on the Web Safe for All Family Members – A Family Learning Approach to Building Digital Literacy Competences Erasmus Project

Project Title

What’s on the Web Safe for All Family Members – A Family Learning Approach to Building Digital Literacy Competences

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

There is arguably a greater disconnection between the different generations in European society today than ever witnessed in modern times. At the heart of this disconnect is the relationship with digital and social media that exists within the modern family unit. Most families in Europe today comprise;
(i) young digital natives who have grown up with technology embedded in their daily lives and accept without question its ubiquity, capacity and inter-connectedness;
(ii) parents and guardians who have joined the technology revolution out of necessity rather than choice and who view its influence with trepidation and anxiety, rather than optimistic enthusiasm;
.
With the dawn of a new decade this year, the digital divide in Europe today is not based on the ‘haves’ or the ‘have nots’ where access to new technology is concerned as in previous times. The convergence of different media platforms into smartphones ensures that almost everyone who wants access can have access. Today, ‘digital divide’ is determined by the level of digital and media literacy that pertains between the generations – with ‘literacy’ being the key term. While digital natives undoubtedly have the edge over their parents and their grandparents in digital skills and digital dexterity there is a significant literacy deficit within this generation.

In the context of the WOWSA project, digital literacy refers to how individual digital media consumers source, interpret, apply and synthesize information and content that is sourced online so that they can form balanced and informed opinions. Furthermore, it includes how digital media users create their own digital content that is appropriate to share with others online. By this, we mean that content, which they share online, does not put their safety, security or sense of identity in jeopardy and that they are aware of the consequences of over-sharing personal information online. While the area of digital literacy includes a wide variety of topics, essentially it means developing an awareness of how to act, and re-act, responsibly online.

While parents and grandparents in the family unit might not have the digital skills of their children, they do have an important role to play in supporting the development of digital and social media literacy within their family unit. The importance of this role is heightened by the avalanche of fake news that now confronts family members of all ages on a daily basis. Instances of ‘fake news’ are causing division among communities and we can see the impact that ‘fake news’ has had on shaping society; especially considering the susceptibility of older adults to fall for fake news (BBC, 2019). The media’s role in spreading disinformation in the run up to the Brexit vote is one example. The use of Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube by ‘anti-vaccination’ groups to publish ‘fake news’ content in the UK saw a tripling of the cases of measles in 2018, as parents, influenced by ‘fake news’, chose not to vaccinate their children. A study from the US that was published in 2019 found that people over the age of 65 were seven-times more likely to share fake news content online than people aged under 30. Research shows that 83% of Europeans think that ‘fake news’ is a threat to democracy; and 73% of Internet users are concerned about the spread of disinformation online in the pre-election period (Flash Eurobarometer 464; Special Eurobarometer 477).

While fake news is a real threat, it is not the only threat. Social networking sites are the new ‘street corners’ where young people ‘hang out’ and there is an emerging ‘virtual world’ culture throughout Europe as the numbers of citizens engaged in on-line virtual communities expands. Problems that exist in the real world; bullying; racism; xenophobia; stigmatizing; etc. are rampant in virtual settings and continue to grow exponentially. The Internet is like a modern day “Wild West” where any sort of behaviour or activity is plausible and present. WOWSA proposes a comprehensive intergenerational, family learning initiative to support the key role of parents in developing digital and social media literacy skills of children, young adults and senior adults in the family unit.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 228965 Eur

Project Coordinator

InterAktion – Verein für ein interkulturelles Zusammenleben & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Proportional Message – Associação
• REINTEGRA, z.s.
• CSI CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION LTD
• Solution: Solidarité & Inclusion
• The Rural Hub CLG
• DRUSTVO ZA RAZVIJANJE PROSTOVOLJNEGA DELA NOVO MESTO