The digital literacy gap, the distance between how quickly technology advances and how quickly people’s skills keep pace, genuinely affects a business internally through its staff and externally through its customers, making it worth addressing deliberately rather than assuming it will close on its own.
These are the ways a business can genuinely bridge this gap.
Assess the genuine, current skill level honestly
Understanding a team’s actual, current digital skill level, rather than assuming a baseline competency that may not genuinely exist, is the necessary starting point for closing this gap effectively.
This honest assessment avoids either over-investing in training that’s not needed or under-investing where a genuine gap exists.
Provide genuinely practical, ongoing training
Digital literacy training that’s genuinely practical and tied to the specific tools a team actually uses, rather than generic technology education, produces considerably better real-world results.
Our guide to skills development for South African businesses covers accessing structured support for this kind of practical, ongoing training.
Choose genuinely accessible tools deliberately
Selecting tools that are genuinely intuitive and well-suited to a team’s actual current skill level, rather than the most feature-rich option available, reduces the practical impact of any remaining digital literacy gap.
Our guide to affordable tech tools for SMEs covers choosing tools genuinely appropriate to a team’s actual capability.
Consider the genuine gap on the customer side too
Customers also vary in digital literacy, and a business assuming universal comfort with digital-only interactions risks genuinely alienating a meaningful part of its customer base.
The Department of Small Business Development publishes digital-readiness guidance covering this kind of inclusive approach.
Frequently asked questions
What is the digital literacy gap?
The distance between how quickly technology advances and how quickly people’s skills genuinely keep pace with it.
Where should closing this gap genuinely start?
With an honest assessment of a team’s actual, current digital skill level, not an assumed baseline.
What kind of training genuinely helps close this gap?
Practical training tied to the specific tools a team actually uses, rather than generic technology education.
Does tool choice affect the practical impact of this gap?
Yes, choosing genuinely intuitive tools suited to a team’s actual skill level reduces the gap’s practical impact.
Does the digital literacy gap only affect staff?
No, customers vary too, and a business should offer a genuine alternative alongside digital-only interactions.
