Book Review: Digital literacies: Concepts, policies and practices

With Digital literacies … a group of internationally renowned authors, under the capable editorship of Colin Lankshear & Michele Knobel, succeed in raising awareness for the vast scope and complexities of literacies that need to be considered in a rapidly developing digital environment. Through the various contributions, the book argues that the diversity that consists amongst the concepts of digital literacy requires adopting an expansive view of digital literacies and their significance. Digital literacy need to be seen and understood as a plural phenomenon comprising many digital literacies that should be explored such as information literacy, computer literacy, media literacy, functional literacy and media competency (covered in part 1 of the book). In addition the strengths and usefulness of a socio-cultural approach and context need to be explored (covered in part 2 of the book). The introduction explains: "This sheer variety means that digital literacy can be seen as a framework for integrating various other literacies and skill sets" without "the need to encompass them all" or to serve as "one literacy to rule them all" … "Equally, however, it reminds us that any attempt to constitute an umbrella definition or overarching frame of digital literacy will necessarily involve reconciling the claims of myriad concepts of digital literacy, a veritable legion of digital literacies" (p. 4). Therefore the title of the book: Digital literacies: concepts, policies and practices.