What is Metaliteracy?

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Metaliteracy is an advanced literacy that promotes critical thinking, ethical information use, and collaborative knowledge creation in digital environments.

Definition of Metaliteracy

Metaliteracy is a broad literacy framework that expands traditional information literacy by focusing on:

• Critical evaluation of digital content
• Ethical engagement with information
• Collaborative knowledge production
• Metacognitive reflection (awareness of one's learning process)

Coined by Tom Mackey and Trudi Jacobson in 2011 [1], metaliteracy recognises the shift from passive information consumption to active participation in today's digital landscape.

Underlying Literacies

Metaliteracy incorporates and unifies various literacy types essential in today's digital and participatory environments:

• Information literacy: Metaliteracy builds on the foundation of information literacy by not only focusing on evaluating and using information but also integrating these skills within a broader, more collaborative, and reflective context.
  • Digital literacy: As a subset of metaliteracy, digital literacy involves using digital tools for information creation and sharing, emphasising the ethical and effective use of technology in various contexts.
• Media literacy: Metaliteracy extends media literacy by encouraging the critical evaluation and production of media content, fostering a deeper understanding of media's role in society, and enhancing the ability to create responsible and informed media.
• Visual literacy: Within the metaliteracy framework, visual literacy encompasses interpreting and creating visual information, promoting skills to understand and effectively use visual media for communication and information sharing.
• Maker literacy: Metaliteracy includes maker literacy, which involves creating and innovating using various tools and technologies. This aspect highlights the shift from consumer to creator, encouraging empowerment and fostering critical thinking and collaboration in maker-centred learning environments.

Broader Related Concepts

Metaliteracy connects with several broader concepts that integrate various literacy types:

• Critical thinking: The ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connections between ideas.
• Lifelong learning: Information literacy is fundamental to lifelong learning, empowering individuals to seek, evaluate, use, and create information effectively throughout their lives.
• Citizenship: Information literacy is essential for active and informed citizenship, enabling individuals to participate fully in society and make informed decisions.

These broader concepts provide metaliteracy with a unified framework that enhances critical thinking, supports lifelong learning, promotes active citizenship, and fosters sociotechnical fluency.

Synonyms

Several terms are often used interchangeably with or alongside metaliteracy, such as information literacy, information fluency, media literacy, digital literacy, and transliteracy. However, these terms are subsets of the broader concept of metaliteracy, and not synonyms.

Opposite Terms

Opposites of metaliteracy reflect a lack of critical thinking, collaboration, and metacognitive reflection in the digital age:

• Information illiteracy: The inability to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use information.
• Digital illiteracy: The lack of ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information.
• Media illiteracy: The inability to access, analyse, evaluate, and create media in various forms.
• Uncritical thinking: The absence of critical thinking skills.
• Passive consumption: Consuming information without engaging in active evaluation, reflection, or production.
• Cognitive inflexibility: The inability to adapt one's thinking to new information or changing environments.

Related Terms

Terms closely related to metaliteracy include:

• Transliteracy: The ability to read, write, and interact across a range of platforms, tools, and media. This term is closely related to metaliteracy as it emphasises the integration of multiple literacy types.
• Information fluency: Beyond information literacy, information fluency includes the application of learnt information to create original, thoughtful content. Metaliteracy supports this by encouraging active knowledge production and sharing.
• Sociotechnical fluency: The ability to navigate and participate effectively in both social and technical environments. Metaliteracy encompasses this by promoting collaboration and participation in digital spaces.
• Metacognition: The process of thinking about one's own thinking. Metaliteracy places a strong emphasis on metacognitive reflection as a core component of learning.
• Cultural literacy: The ability to understand and participate fluently in a given culture. Metaliteracy incorporates cultural literacy by fostering awareness and appreciation of diverse perspectives and information sources.

Conclusion

Metaliteracy provides a comprehensive framework that extends beyond traditional information literacy, emphasising critical thinking, ethical use, and collaborative information production in the digital age. By integrating various literacy types and promoting metacognitive reflection, metaliteracy equips individuals to navigate and thrive in complex information environments. This holistic approach not only creates informed and responsible consumers of information, but also active and reflective contributors to the information ecosystem. Understanding and adopting metaliteracy is essential for effective participation in today's interconnected world.