ql-align-justify">The society is building different ways to communicate in the most random and explicit way; the contemporary social practice allows connections or interaction flow more easily for all. The most well-known and widely used platforms that show these are TikTok, Instagram, Messenger, and other platforms used to connect with other individuals.

Communication is not limited to written text and verbal communication. The new practice of communicating is multimodal, combining images, captions, videos, pictures, music, and other options for better interaction. These applications allow us to interact through attractive visuals, trending audio, and persuasive captions to capture attention within seconds. People interact by expressing themselves through comments, reacting, sharing posts or ideas, or sending direct messages to a group of people or to an individual, creating a two-way communication process. In addition, another key communicative feature is the way to use informal and conversational means of communication. For example, online sellers of different products or even TikTok Affiliators use common or relatable expressions, humor, and use local or informal language to persuade their audience into buying their items, but credibility is also gained through reviews. This proves how digital communication relies on both persuasion and social proof. Moreover, the implications for the literacies pedagogy are relevant because the traditional way of education mainly focuses on reading and writing from a book, which is no longer enough for the new generation. The students of yesterday need to develop digital literacy, media literacy, visual literacy, and critical literacy skills that would allow the children of tomorrow to interpret multimodal content that teaches digital responsibility. Incorporating academic tasks to promote digital literacy in education is a best practice to prepare learners to participate actively, effectively, and responsibly in the contemporary digitalized society.

In conclusion, communication has evolved beyond traditional reading and writing. Today’s contemporary social practices of literacies are fast, interactive, and multimodal, which are highly influenced by visuals, audio, trends, and social engagement. With these changes, the literacy pedagogy must adapt to the reality of the digitalized era; therefore, students need to be equipped with the skills to create responsible and meaningful multimodal texts.

References:

Partnership for 21st Century Learning. (2019). Framework for 21st century learning: Definitions. Columbus, OH: Battelle for Kids. Retrieved from https://www.battelleforkids.org/learning-hub/learning-hubitem/framework-for-21st-century-learning-definitions

University of Potamac (2022). What is Digital Literacy? Definition, Skills & Importance https://potomac.edu/what-is-digital-literacy/

The sight of the modern expression of communication