Introduction Speech by Riri Satria at the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on Digital Literacy, in Bandung, March 2023

Ladies and gentlemen, dear brothers and sisters,

Digital literacy is no longer a luxury. It is a fundamental skill for living in today’s world. Digital literacy is the ability to identify, understand, and use digital technologies properly, creatively, responsibly, and critically. It includes knowing how to operate digital tools, how to search for and use information wisely, how to evaluate and validate data sources and media content, how to communicate and collaborate in online or cyber environments, and how to protect our security, identity, and personal data in the digital space.

In today’s digital society, digital literacy has become a necessity for all segments of society, even though the required level may differ from one group to another. What truly matters is not whether we are experts, but whether we are sufficiently aware and capable of navigating the digital world safely and effectively.

Before we go further, let us pause for a moment to understand the very word literacy. Literacy is fundamentally the ability to read and write, but it goes far beyond that. Literacy is the capacity to manage knowledge and skills in a particular field, enabling individuals to process information and knowledge in order to live their daily lives with awareness, autonomy, and purpose. When we speak about digital literacy, or digital competence, we are talking about a form of capability that is absolutely essential today and will be even more essential in the future.

This is not limited to professions directly related to digital technology. Whatever your profession may be, digital literacy now touches every aspect of life. Technology has entered all domains: research and science, government bureaucracy, education, ordering a taxi or food to our homes, and even personal relationships and dating. There is almost no corner of human life today that is untouched by digital technology.

We can see this clearly in everyday professions. Even the profession of a driver today requires digital literacy. Drivers are now expected to be able to operate geopositioning systems, or GPS, such as Google Maps and similar applications. Job vacancies for taxi drivers or private drivers often explicitly require the ability to read and use GPS. This requirement was almost unheard of just a few years ago. Only for drivers with fixed routes such as city minibuses or buses, this skill may not be essential, because their routes are already well defined. This simple example shows how deeply digital technology has entered our daily lives.

The digital era has also entered our mosques and other places of worship. Unfortunately, along with its benefits, digital crime has followed. Today, it is increasingly common to find donation boxes in mosques and religious institutions equipped with QRIS stickers or Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard. These QR codes allow worshippers to donate directly from their bank accounts to the mosque’s account, without the need to carry cash. This is convenient, efficient, and in many ways very helpful.

But here is the critical question: what if the QRIS sticker is replaced? If the sticker is swapped with another QR code, any transfer made by worshippers will automatically be sent to a different account, the account linked to that fraudulent QRIS code, not to the mosque or place of worship. Crimes like this have recently become more frequent. Similar cases have been found in other locations as well, especially in social or charitable institutions where donations are common and control mechanisms are relatively weak.

This is precisely where the importance of digital literacy becomes clear. Digital literacy is not only about knowing how to use technology, but also about being aware of risks, being critical, and being vigilant. It teaches us to pause, to check, and to question before we act, even when the technology looks familiar and trustworthy.

This issue becomes even more critical for teachers and educators. As the frontline actors in achieving one of Indonesia’s national goals, that is to educate the life of the nation, educators carry a strategic responsibility. In the era of a Smart Society 5.0, digital competence is no longer optional for teachers; it is essential. Educators must not only transfer knowledge, but also model critical, ethical, and intelligent use of digital technology for the younger generation.

If we explore this topic further, we will find extensive discussions on digital literacy. One important reference is the Buku Kerangka Digital Indonesia, which defines digital literacy as the ability to use digital technology to find, evaluate, utilize, create, and communicate information supported by both cognitive and technical skills. This reminds us that digital literacy is not merely the ability to read information on digital media. It is a comprehensive competence required of everyday users of digital technology, not as experts, but as conscious and capable citizens.

At the global level, UNESCO explains that digital competence is an integral part of life skills. Digital literacy is not only about mastering devices or applications, but also about the ability to learn continuously, to think critically, creatively, and innovatively, and to build competencies needed in the digital era.

Meanwhile, Steve Wheeler, in his article Digital Literacies for Engagement in Emerging Online Cultures published in 2012, identifies nine key components of digital literacy: social networking, transliteracy, maintaining privacy, managing identity, creating content, organizing and sharing content, reusing or repurposing content, filtering and selecting content, and self-broadcasting. These components show us that digital literacy is not a single skill, but a constellation of interconnected abilities that shape how we live, learn, and interact online.

All of this brings us back to a crucial point. Digital competence plays a vital role in shaping a society with a critical and creative mindset. A digitally literate society is far less likely to be easily deceived by digital-based threats—whether in the form of hoaxes, online scams, QR-code fraud, or other types of cybercrime. Digital literacy builds awareness, skepticism, and responsibility. It empowers people not just to use technology, but to question it, to control it, and to benefit from it wisely.

Ladies and gentlemen, this discussion has so far focused on the individual and community levels. We have not even touched the national level yet, where the challenges of digital literacy are far more complex and far more consequential. But it must start from us, from awareness, from education, and from a shared commitment to becoming digitally literate citizens.

Ultimately, digital literacy is about survival and dignity in the digital age. It is about ensuring that technology serves humanity not the other way around. And that responsibility begins with each of us.

Thank you.

--- Riri Satria ---