On April 11, 2012 Howard Rheingold joined Mamie Rheingold in a conversation about his latest book, Net Smart: How to Thrive Online. Like it or not, knowing how to make use of online tools without being overloaded with too much information is an essential ingredient to personal success in the twenty-first century. But how can we use digital media so that they make us empowered participants rather than passive receivers, grounded, well-rounded people rather than multitasking basket cases? In Net Smart, cyberculture expert Howard Rheingold shows us how to use social media intelligently, humanely, and, above all, mindfully.
Among the Essential Literacies he cites are:
• Attention
• Participation
• Collaboration
• Critical consumption (which includes “crap detection” — we live in an age when you can get the answer to anything out of the air, but how do you know what and whom to trust?)
He also talks about focused attention vs. multitasking and the importance of being able to handle an array of tasks simultaneously.
JD Lasica in Socialmedia.biz Howard Rheingold on essential media literacies