Socio-emotional literacy

The expansion of platforms of digital communications has opened up new dimensions of learning and information sharing in various forms(ScardamaliaBereiter,1996;Mioduser&Nachmias,2002). However, alongside the opportunities also present the users with problems in a proportion unknown prior to the internet era. How do we know whether the individuals in a chat room are really who they are? Should we open an e-mail from an unknown person, even if the e-mail's subject seems interesting? It might contain a virus, but then again it could be genuine. These questions are only a few examples of considerations that the present-day internet users must take into account. Cyberspace is not only a global village, but also a jungle of human communications embracing an infinite quantity of information, true and false, honest and deceptive. Socially-literate users of cyberspace know how to avoid 'traps' as well as derive benefits from the advantages of digital communications. This type of literacy is known as Socio-emotional literacy. Individuals who possess this fundamental skill are able to protect themselves from the dangers on the internet. Socio-emotional literacy skills refer to the sociological and emotional aspect of communication in a digital world (Alkali & Hamburger(2004) or state that "in order to acquire the skill (socio-emotional literacy), users must be very critical, analytical and mature socio-emotional users" according to Amichau-Hamburger (2004) are those who are willing to share data and knowledge with others, capable of information evaluation, abstract thinking and also able to collaboratively construct knowledge. These skills are necessary because individuals working in a digital environment need to be able to discern between what is good and what is bad on the web. (Aphek,2007). The importance of this skill cannot be over-emphasized. It aids in the protection of users while in a digital environment. It enjoins individuals to use caution while using the web to avoid the danger of web scams.