On network literacy (#netlit)

1 min read

Chris Granger - Coding is not the new literacy

This is certainly accurate, but defining literacy as interpreting and making marks on a sheet of paper is grossly inadequate. Reading and writing are the physical actions we use to employ something far more important: external, distributable storage for the mind. Being literate isn't simply a matter of being able to put words on the page, it's solidifying our thoughts such that they can be written.

While this article discusses literacy in terms of coding and modeling, it echoes conversations I've had about Network Literacy. #netlit is not just knowing the tools and how to use them, it's about understanding how you are situated within, the dynamics of, and the power of the network. Certainly we need to be able to "make the marks," but to be network literate is to understand how our marks and others flow through the network.