inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Vice Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Nezar Patria, stated that a new approach to digital literacy, focusing on leveraging connectivity to create innovation and solutions, needs to be more widely adopted in this era of artificial intelligence (AI).
While welcoming the Association of Indonesian Communication Science Lecturers and Researchers (ADIPIKI) in Jakarta on Thursday (6/25/2026), Nezar stated that the digital literacy approach, which focuses solely on teaching people how to connect to the internet, is now deemed irrelevant and requires adopting a newer approach.
"Digital literacy programs now focus more on upskilling, improving skills that are more contextual and relevant to current developments," Nezar said.
He believes that providing literacy on how to use devices, connect them to the internet, and surf online has become a form of education that no longer needs to be carried out on a large scale.
Furthermore, when discussing digital security and digital ethics, digital platforms are now more involved, no longer merely providing a platform for communication but also being held accountable for their services.
Therefore, a new approach to digital literacy is needed to remain relevant to the needs of the community and keep up with technological developments, which are now driven by AI.
The change in direction of the digital literacy program is considered the right step and aligns with the direction of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas).
"We have been implementing digital literacy programs for quite some time, almost a decade, and Bappenas' evaluation of this program is final. We will no longer continue digital literacy programs as they were before," said Nezar.
In addition to focusing on strengthening the capacity of communities increasingly following digital technology, Nezar said that through the new digital literacy program currently being implemented by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, communities are equipped with the skills to deal with disinformation, misinformation, and hoaxes.
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