The From Digital Skills to Tangible Outcomes (DiSTO) project studies the links between digital and social inequalities and the impact digitisation has on people's lives around the world.
DiSTO develops and improves theoretical models, empirical measures and toolkits to help a wide range of stakeholders understand socio-digital inequalities better and implement more effective interventions.The framework underpinning the project has been extensively, cross-culturally validated empirically, and emphasises the need for a holistic approach to digital literacy, ranging from technical and information to social and creative literacies.
The global network of researchers affiliated with DiSTO have conceptualised and developed measures of digital literacy. These survey and performance tests measures cover practical applied skills as well as a critical knowledge, because our research shows that both are needed to be able to take up opportunities and avoid potential harm associated with engaging with digital media.
DiSTO research has shown that digital literacy is unequally distributed following historical patterns but that the way in which this manifests itself depends on how interventions are designed and what the local circumstances are.
DiSTO findings and toolkits have subsequently been widely used by policy makers and practitioners to design more effective media and digital literacy programmes tailored to the specific context in which they are introduced.
DiSTO principles
- Digital literacy requires a holistic approach, where technical, social and educational aspects are considered.
- Both skills and critical knowledge form important parts of digital literacy.
- Although there are international patterns, community-level interventions are important to understand digital literacy in context. DiSTO connects with local partners to deliver interventions as they best understand local contexts.
- DiSTO combines academic theory with practical, tangible outcomes with partners.
Who is DiSTO?
DiSTO is a collective project with self-funded partners, housed at LSE's department of Media and Communications. The project is headed by Professor Ellen Helsper.