The uses of multimedia: three digital literacy case studies

Abstract

We identify some tensions between formal education and informal learning in the uses of popular literacy since the nineteenth century, in order to argue for a ‘demand-led’ model of education in digital literacy. We go on to analyse three case studies — digital storytelling, the Flickr photosharing site and the MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) Fury — to discuss issues arising from demand-led learning, which requires a procedural (not propositional) model of knowledge, a vernacular and informal model of creativity, and a ‘navigator’ and entrepreneurial model of consumer agency. In light of these examples, the article raises the question of how digital literacy can and should be taught.