Illiteracy In The 21st Century Essay

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In 1660 illiteracy was first defined as the inability to read or write but now Alvin Toffler, a futurist in communication, digitalization, and corporate expansion, has redefined it for the twenty-first century. He puts it as “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who can learn, relearn, and unlearn.” It has evolved from an idea that struggling kindergarteners have and has grown into a problem that American high school teens have. What Toffler means by illiteracy in the twenty-first century is that people has lost the ability to adapt, comprehend, and refresh their knowledge to be contemporary with the twenty-first century. Reading and writing was the basic principal of education but now it …show more content…

It doesn’t stop after we finish school either. We learn every day to have an impact on the world whether it’s good or bad, and we have to be examples for the next generation once we are there. Therefore what America needs to do is adapt to the changing world with new leadership skills, updated education program, and comprehensive regime that we couldn’t previously learn just on pencil and paper.
Climate change is an example of illiteracy in the twenty-first century because of the ignorance people have towards it. Not only are they ignorant but scared and selfish. In the article “People Find Climate Change Too Hard to Think About” by Kari Norgaard, it shows the fear of the people by saying, “Climate change brings up disturbing emotions, including fear about the future, a sense of helplessness, and for many Americans – guilt.” Also in a video titled “The High Price of Materialism” it says,
“As materialistic values go up, concern for nature tends to go down. Studies show that when people strongly endorse money, image, and status, they are less likely to engage in ecologically beneficial activities like riding bikes, recycling, and reusing things in new

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