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Written Assignment Unit Seven Cultural Diversity

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Reflective Essay

Information literacy is a vital skill in today's society. As defined throughout this course,

information literacy encompasses recognizing when information is needed and having the

capacity to locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information (Sample, 2020). Furthermore,

these skills are becoming increasingly necessary as the amount of information available grows

exponentially yearly. However, only some possess an equal ability to be literate. Some groups

are indeed more literate than others. This can be attributed to differences in access to resources

and opportunities for skill development (Weninger, 2022). As a result, they may attend

underfunded schools with outdated learning resources and need more information-rich role

models to learn from. This disparity in access means these populations start from a

disadvantaged position in gaining competency in core skills like evaluating sources, developing

effective search strategies, and discerning misinformation.

In addition, race and ethnicity also correlate with varying degrees of "information

privilege." Historically, minority groups faced marginalization that limited their full participation

in institutions that cultivate information literacy, like higher education. For example, Lincoln et

al. (2021) discuss how communities of color experienced discrimination that obstructed equal

opportunities to gain higher levels of education. Therefore, these groups had different chances to

develop information literacy skills within academic environments over time. Furthermore, when

a society possesses widespread information literacy, the community reaps clear societal benefits.

On an individual level, a literate population is better equipped to participate actively and make

informed decisions in civic processes like voting on legislation and policies. The learning map

for this course supports this claim, stating that information literacy equips citizens to participate

knowledgeably in democratic systems.

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Moreover, a more literate society can also improve the dynamics of public discourse and

debate on complex issues. People can thoughtfully consider diverse perspectives rather than

spread unsubstantiated claims. In workplaces, information literacy empowers individuals to

rapidly acquire new job skills through self-directed learning, complete tasks efficiently by

leveraging appropriate resources, and solve problems independently (Aziz et al., 2024). More

broadly, information-literate citizens are better positioned to further their education and career

opportunities since they know how to learn actively.

On the contrary, a lack of information literacy risks individuals and whole communities.

Those without proficiency in evaluating online content are more susceptible to believing and

unwittingly spreading misinformation on social media platforms (De Paor, 2020). This

undermines social cohesion and trust within a democratic society. Furthermore, an ill-informed

populace threatens the integrity of public policy decisions since citizens cast votes based on

possibly incorrect understandings of issues. Individually, a lack of information literacy causes

personal health, finances, employability, and more disadvantages.

In conclusion, while technology has amplified the importance of information literacy, our

society needs to value and support the development of these competencies for all adequately.

More deliberate efforts must be taken to address inequities in meaningful opportunities to learn

vital lifelong skills like distinguishing credible sources. Promoting information literacy should be

a key priority to actively empower people from all backgrounds to participate and succeed in

today's information-rich world.

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References

Aziz, A. N. I., & Kheryadi, K. (2024). Digital literacy with EFL students: discovering Banten's

students' perception about integrating digital technologies in collaborative

learning. Wiralodra English Journal (WEJ), 8(1), 40-53.

https://doi.org/10.31943/wej.v8i1.264

De Paor, S., & Heravi, B. (2020). Information literacy and fake news: How the field of

librarianship can help combat the epidemic of fake news. The Journal of Academic

Librarianship, 46(5), 102218.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102218

Lincoln, Y. S., & Stanley, C. A. (2021). The faces of institutionalized discrimination and

systemic oppression in higher education: Uncovering the lived experience of bias and

procedural inequity. Qualitative Inquiry, 27(10), 1233–1245.

https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004211026892

Sample, A. (2020). Historical development of definitions of information literacy: A literature

review of selected resources. The journal of academic librarianship, 46(2), 102116.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102116

Weninger, C. (2022). Skill versus social practice? Some challenges in teaching digital literacy in

the university classroom. Tesol Quarterly, 56(3), 1016–1028.

https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3134
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