Are YOU digitally fit? This may seem like a simple question, but it is not. Upon first glance you may think I’m asking if you are aware of all the hip and happening social media sites and have accounts on all of them. If that’s what you think, you would be wrong.
As I have said in this space before, digital disruption is coming at all industries fast and furious and individuals need to be prepared, no matter what stage in your career you may be.
By definition, digital disruption means the interruption of an activity or a process. Technology has caused major disruption and dislocation in every industry. You either become digitally fit or get left behind.
Being digitally fit means that you are aware of the new technologies in your industry and you are leveraging them to improve yourself professionally or utilizing them to position yourself in a particular way in your industry. Think about it, a fashion buyer’s digital fitness is different from that of a banker or an attorney.
Media professionals are particularly vulnerable to digital disruptions. We see where media companies are using robot journalists with machine learning and natural language capabilities to write articles that are numbers-based, such as sports and finance related articles.
Beyond that, I think the most interesting thing about the digital age is the equity it provides. So it’s up to individuals to decide to use it or be used by it. The democratization of information is not just a fancy term. Publishing and or broadcasting power is there for everyone with internet connection. Claiming not to know something or not being able to do something is just not acceptable anymore.
Technology has leveled the playing field, so much so that the classroom can be anywhere at any time. Some great online classrooms that I used personally include: ITunesU, Udemy to LinkedIn Learning. But as I said, we can either choose to use technology or be used by it. In other words, choose to be digitally fit, or not.
Image Credits:
The Open University: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-development/the-digital-scholar/content-section-overview
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