Being online means that you are at some point liking, sharing and also exchanging information which means that you have some of the basic skills already. However, as time goes by you will need to learn some other skills.
3 online skills that you will find are necessary to learn ASAP are
Protecting Information about You
Every time you go online you leave a trail and this contains information like your date of birth, gender and status, your online search activities, electronic transactions and also but not always your national identity number.
All this information is your digital identity and is linked to one or more identifiers, like a website, mobile number, e-mail address, a location, a service provider, username and or probably several passwords.
Trails are left by necessity or sometimes via what may seem like innocent fun but, whatever way this is done, your trail is sometimes open to some type of data mining that can lead to phishing and openings for scammers.
Learn skills that will protect your information, the basic being refusing to accept cookies, opting out of certain service, having a two-step authentication process and using VPN. Whichever option you take, learn the skills you need to put in layers of security to protect your personal information.
Gathering Information
On the web there is that data that is created intentionally and it can sometimes be useful for you or some other user but only if you have some digital skills that can be used to find and organize this information.
When gathering information you need skills to figure out if the source of information is trustworthy, because more and more the internet is being filled with fakes. AI generated images, videos or recordings of real people have made it even harder to detect this digital disinformation. So, basic technology and security awareness skills are really important to learn so you can evaluate the source of information and recognize it for what it is; fake or real.
Putting Out Information
When putting out information for your business, your work or for educational purposes you need skills to use the technology available online to help you in these pursuits. Sending out emails, writing posts or putting out media whether it is for your business, work or education you need to know how to select the right technology to carry out a specific task or solve a particular problem. Also, putting out information will include security and privacy considerations, as well.
You need to know the ethical use of certain apps and knowing how the emerging technologies such as generative AI work. Find out and learn whether the information you put out does not breach any laws or the security of your customers, your own information or that of your business or work place.
