Digital Literacy in the Rural Environment of Rivers State, Nigeria

While literacy can generally be defined as the basic ability to read, write, and also count, digital literacy can be described as the ability to perform all these tasks using electronic means. These means would include modern electronic gadgets, such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, kindle books, and the like. To be digitally literate would therefore require the existence of modern technologies such as internet facilities that would make it possible to access online reading and writing. The rural environment, particularly in developing areas, is usually characterised by a seeming lack of modern amenities and even worse, digital internet networks. Yet, those who live in the rural areas of Rivers State belong to the modern digital era and deserve to be digitally literate. This paper examines the prerequisites for digital literacy and explores how these can be achieved for citizens who inhabit the rural areas of an industrially-nascent state like Rivers State.

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