Digital transformation is currently the subject of important debates in the fields of economics, education and politics (Martin, 2008). This process is accompanied by changing demands on individuals. The PIAAC study reports that larger proportions of adults in participating countries have limited problem-solving skills in technology-rich environments (OECD, 2013: 98). Research shows that access to, use of and mastery of digital technologies differ significantly among different population groups. Such differences can be seen, for example, in age (Millward, 2003), formal education or employment (e.g. van Deursen & van Dijk, 2010). This contribution examines the question of whether a different use of digital technology can also be traced along the lines of literacy. In Germany, around 14 percent of adults had very low literacy skills in 2010 (Grotlüschen & Riekmann, 2011). PIAAC points to a high correlation between computer literacy and literacy (OECD, 2013: 94). Previous studies have either dealt centrally with media use, but have not linked this to competence results. Studies on literacy, on the other hand, have not differentiated the use of digital media. One exception is PIAAC with some rather general questions on the use of computers or email (Reder, 2017). The contribution draws on the results of a second national survey on literacy in Germany (http://blogs.epb.uni-hamburg.de/leo/). The study reports on everyday practices and self-reported basic competences in various areas of life (health, finance, politics, digital affairs). With regard to the field of digital practices, we examine whether there is a general difference between higher and lower literate adults in everyday practices using digital techniques, or whether there is a selective difference between different types of practices. With regard to digital literacy, we examine whether low-literacy adults consider themselves to be as competent in the use of digital technologies as higher-literacy adults. We distinguish between functional-pragmatic competences (Klieme & Hartig, 2008) and critically questioning competences (Negt, 1993; Baacke, 1998).

Baacke, D. (1998). Medienkompetenz: Herkunft, Reichweite und strategische Bedeutung eines Begriffs. In H. Kubicek, H.-J. Braczyk, & D. Klumpp (Eds.), Jahrbuch Telekommunikation und Gesellschaft: Vol. 6. (pp. 22–27). Heidelberg: v. Decker. Grotlüschen, A., & Riekmann, W. (2011). leo. – Level-One Study: Literacy of adults at the lower rungs of the ladder. http://blogs.epb.uni-hamburg.de/leo/files/2011/12/leo-Press-brochure15-12-2011.pdf Klieme, E., & Hartig, J. (2008). Kompetenzkonzepte in den Sozialwissenschaften und im erziehungswissenschaftlichen Diskurs. In M. Prenzel, I. Gogolin, & H.-H. Krüger (Eds.), Kompetenzdiagnostik: Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft (pp. 11–32). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag. Martin, A. (2008). Digital Literacy and the “Digital Society”. In C. Lankshear & M. Knobel (Eds.), New literacies and digital epistemologies (pp. 151–176). New York, NY: Lang. Millward, P. (2003). The 'grey digital divide': Perception, exclusion and barriers of access to the Internet for older people. First Monday, 8. Negt, O. (1993). Wir brauchen eine zweite, gesamtdeutsche Bildungsreform. GMH, 44, 657–668. OECD. (2013). OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First Results from the Survey of Adult Skills. Paris. Reder, S. (2017). Adults ' Engagement in Reading, Writing and Numeracy Practices. van Deursen, A., & van Dijk, J. (2010). Internet skills and the digital divide. New Media & Society, 13, 893–911.