Definition of Social Media Literacy

We were asked in class on Thursday to come up with a definition for Social Media Literacy. The word literacy, quite simply and in my opinion, means the ability to read and write. The ability to read and write demonstrates at least some understanding of the written language, however small that might be. Based on that premise, it seems there ought to be a simple definition for social media literacy.

Here’s what I came up with:

Social Media Literacy - The ability to compose and send an e-mail.

Maybe that’s a bad definition and overly simplistic. But here’s why I came up with that: Essentially, any person who wants to communicate via media, whether on a computer by e-mail, on Facebook, Twitter, or on a cell phone, needs to have the ability to turn the computer or device on, click a mouse, press a button, and use a keyboard (without assistance). Furthermore, they need to possess the ability to read and write (be literate). This is not rocket science. Sending an e-mail doesn’t require a person to be a computer programmer. The Social Media Literate person demonstrates the ability to communicate on a computer or other technological device.