Over 1 Lakh Women In India Trained On Digital Literacy Via “We Think Digital”

The internet was intended by its founders as a forum for redefining public spaces by making it accessible to everyone. It has steadily and progressively changed not only how interactions occur, but also how corporations, schools, and governments work. It has been one of the main forces in the Information Era of social transformation.

The internet makes it easy to make personal stories available internationally and to make global news accessible locally. The whole planet is just two clicks away now. Due to the pandemic induced restricted movements outside, there has been a 70% increase in internet use in 2020.

With the rise in internet penetration and the use of technology to access even basic services such as education, it has become significant for people equipped with the right skills to boost citizens’ digital literacy. Digital literacy focuses on developing the skills needed to access the data needed to find a job, set up companies, and enter the global community.

In 2020, in collaboration with the National Commission for Women (NCW), CyberPeace Foundation and Autobot Infosec, Facebook’s ‘We Think Digital’, a global digital literacy initiative, was launched. It aimed to provide digital literacy training to 100,000 women across states like Gujarat, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Assam.

It was first introduced in 2018 as the “Digital Shakti” initiative, where 60,000 women across India were trained in digital literacy and online security. Step two of the project has been successfully completed on the occasion of Safer Internet Day 2021. Since its launch in 2020, a total of more than 167 webinars have been organised and over 105,000 netizens have been sensitised across India.

The training programme was developed with an emphasis on digital literacy and citizenship, addressing privacy, security and misinformation issues. Digital literacy goes beyond internet connectivity and includes the skills needed in a trusted environment to use information and communication technologies.

The curriculum for the “We Think Digital” workshops concentrated on improving protection, privacy and detecting misinformation on digital platforms. The sessions focused on data and digital footprint awareness, responsible online behaviour, countering disinformation and cybercrime.

Participants were also motivated to be informed cyber-conscious digital users and to think critically about empathic digital discourses. It has also trained individuals about how to be protected in digital environments. Thus, maintaining the trust of users in technology, increasing the protection of users and enabling them to make the most of the internet.

Facebook is also collaborating to inform users about how to use web-based resources securely, safely, and responsibly. Since the last decade, through portals such as Facebook Safety Centre, Facebook Parent’s Portal, Facebook Youth Portal, Facebook Bullying Prevention Hub and Facebook Online Well-being Hub, it has been focusing on building a secure online environment for its users.