Digital literacy is an important skill for students not only to be able to navigate their current educational and personal needs, but to prepare for future technological trends and career opportunities.
The concept of digital literacy used to be relatively narrow, regarding basic computing skills and not much more. But as the world becomes increasingly interconnected and technology-dependent, digital literacy has expanded to a wide range of devices and applications. It’s important to be able to use these devices effectively and to develop lifelong digital literacy skills to adapt these skills to a constantly-changing digital world.
What are Examples of Digital Literacy in 2023?
Because of the evolving scope of digital literacy, it can be confusing to understand what, exactly, qualifies as digital literacy. Digital literacy is constantly adapting to the most recent technology, which means examples are ever evolving. Below are 30 examples of digital literacy skills that are relevant in classroom, career and personal applications in 2023.
- Turn on a computer, tablet and smartphone and navigate to desired applications.
- Find and open files in a variety of applications.
- Successfully perform online searches and research while being able to vet sources.
- Use a smartphone to make a call, send a text, navigate the web and use other applications.
- Be able to identify key components of a computer, tablet, and smartphone.
- Keyboard efficiently and accurately.
- Create documents in a variety of applications including word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations; understand how to use copy and paste functions, formatting, adding images and hyperlinks and more.
- Be able to use visual and graphic materials to present ideas digitally.
- Communicate effectively and safely online.
- Track, organize, and present information in a spreadsheet.
- Use collaborative file sharing resources.
- Create and maintain a professional profile online and use effectively to maximize career and networking opportunities.
- Understand the use of digital images including copyright issues, resolution, image type and scaling.
- Comment on a blog or forum.
- Utilize digital media from videos and online files to podcasts and more.
- Use file organization and naming conventions to store files safely and effectively—and be able to find them.
- Be able to connect multiple devices using Bluetooth, file sharing, airdrop, Wi-Fi and more.
- Understand which emails are safe to open, which are not, and how to identify risks.
- Maintain safe password habits, including choosing a secure password, having different passwords for different applications and updating passwords regularly.
- Create a social media profile, adjust security settings to maximize safety and interact with others responsibly.
- Create an email account and send and receive emails.
- Create and edit videos and be able to share videos on online networks.
- Create a basic website or blog and understand how to use and maintain basic components including DNS, CMS, themes, plugins, caching and more.
- Understand and be able to identify basic programming languages.
- Recognize programming language syntax and be able to conduct basic troubleshooting.
- Be able to use basic keyboard shortcuts to increase efficiency.
- Know how to use online information responsibly and while avoiding plagiarism and basic copyright issues.
- Be able to navigate online applications while maintaining safety and security.
- Understanding what information is safe to share in specific situations and how to reduce the risk of identity fraud.
- Knowing when it is appropriate to use digital devices and when it is not.
Final Thoughts
Learn more about teaching digital literacy in the classroom by exploring EasyTech by clicking the button below.

Learning.com Team
Staff Writers
Founded in 1999, Learning.com provides educators with solutions to prepare their students with critical digital skills. Our web-based curriculum for grades K-12 engages students as they learn keyboarding, online safety, applied productivity tools, computational thinking, coding and more.
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