Exercise 14:

Using the tools of critical thinking, refer to the following questions, rely on your experiences, observations, articles found on the web:

• To what extent is critical media literacy part of digital literacy in your country?

• What do you think are the biggest challenges in teaching critical media literacy?

• How would you describe the most important factors that underpin critical media literacy?

Once a niche skill set, digital skills are now essential in the workplace. It is worth noting that in Europe and in all sectors, at least 80% of managers and professionals need basic digital skills. In larger workplaces as much as 50% must have specialist digital skills. Digital technologies are now common in everyday life and embedded in the culture of work. Having a workforce that knows how to use them efficiently is key to a successful business.

In the age of big data, many companies rely on countless information about their customers, processes and workforce. As the digital transformation progresses, recorded data will continue to grow. Knowing how to use this data is critical to understanding your business and its future. Employees who can extract, analyze, and translate useful information from your company's dataset will be essential, and this skill will integrate with an increasing number of team roles.

An effective data analysis can provide the necessary business and customer information. It can also be used to inform campaigns and content. There are currently four main types of data analysis used by companies.

• Descriptive Analysis - Often in conjunction with other analyzes, this practice combines raw data from multiple sources to provide valuable insight into the past.

• Diagnostic analysis - Requires more detailed data to identify patterns and provide insight into specific problems.

• Predictive Analytics - uses the results of descriptive and diagnostic analyzes to detect trends, clusters, and exceptions, and to predict future trends.

• Prescriptive Analytics - Requires historical data and external information and uses machine learning, business rules, and algorithms to determine what actions to take.

With the growth of social media in 2000, advanced social selling is established and maturing, as are its users. This means that your sales teams will also have to adapt in the future. According to today's most successful sales trend of value-driven social media sales, trust is at the heart. To create this, advanced social sellers need to equip themselves with content and conversations so that they can build more meaningful relationships with their customers, meaning "Put Relationships First." Social media is much more an opportunity to educate and become a resource for potential customers than for direct sales - it is the customer's further path.

The advancement of mobile technology means companies need to adapt their strategy accordingly. This means adopting a mobile-centric approach where communication, content and customer journey are optimized for mobile devices. The advantage of an app also means that companies will need to stay abreast of trends to make sure their app remains relevant - and more importantly - discoverable.

As more and more customers spend their time online, moving between different devices, your company's digital presence will have to take centre stage. The key is to ensure easy navigation in your application or website, which is at the heart of UX (user experience) design. Importantly, websites and applications will need to respond to ensure that users experience consistency across devices. Failure to do so will create a stalemate between the brand and the user, which will encourage consumers to look elsewhere.

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest concerns today and will continue to do so as the digital transformation progresses. As security methods evolve and develop, so do the threats to them. The more connected employees are, the more the entire company is at risk of being oversaw by one employee. Even something as simple as using social media at work can pose risks.

Creative thinking is probably the most important digital skill for the future, not device or software specific. With the rapid development of technology, previously respected breakthroughs are quickly forgotten and specialist skills become obsolete. Therefore, the most important skill of every employee in the face of automation is creative thinking. To ensure the longevity of the workforce, they must be able to do what machines cannot. When it comes to digital transformation, having employees who understand the complexities of the digital world and the new milestones in the customer journey is critical.