ACADEMIC ARTICLE

BY :
Yusmi Rini Karolina Bell
B/IV
1701020040

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

ENGLISH STUDY PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF NUSA CENDANA
KUPANG

2019
 WHY IS LITERACY IMPORTANT IN MILENNIAL ERA?
It is no secret that today many children in the millennial era do not understand the
importance of literacy. Some even do not know what literacy is. Literacy is the ability to read,
write, speak and listen in a way that lets us communicate effectively and make sense of the
world. Literacy is more than just reading, writing, and numeracy. It is not about being literate or
illiterate anymore, but having enough skills for today is demands. In coming up with My own
definition, I was inspired by definitions of literacy from other places, most notably the following:

 UNESCO - Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate,

compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy
involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to
develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and
wider society.
 NAAL (National Assessment of Adult Literacy) - Literacy is using printed and written
information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge
and potential.
 Proliteracy - Literacy is the ability to read, write, compute, and use technology at a level
that enables an individual to reach his or her full potential as a parent, employee, and
community member.

Why is literacy important in milennial era? In the millennial era today, many children or young
generation do not care about literacy and how the impact of literacy on their lives. Many young
people today prefer to spend their time with cyberspace or with their mobile phones. For this
reason, through this article, they need to be made aware of how important this literacy or reading
movement is to their lives in the future, and why literacy is very important for them. Beside that,
today many children are being classed as ‘digital natives’ – just as comfortable online as they are
offline. The internet enables endless educational possibilities, with constantly evolving
information streams, however, the vastness of the internet can be a hindrance to those children
who cannot effectively sift through and interpret the material presented. Strong literacy skills are
a key tool used when children discern and interpret information, enabling them to utilise the
internet to its full potential and making sure that the inevitable ‘digital footprint’ that children
will leave, is one that is safe, appropriate, and reflective of their true self. There are some reasons
why is literacy very important in millennial era. The first one is to make the children in milennial
era stay away from phubing culture that is being rife in this era. The second one is