Information literacy: an integrated concept for a safer Internet

This paper aims to provide an overview of some of the most recent developments in concepts and practices associated with information literacy worldwide, revealing the paradox that, while information literacy is a key discipline of the information society and knowledge economy and is well‐understood in its broader sense, it has made little progress educationally, save for a few exceptions in countries such as Australia, the USA, Canada and the UK. Deriving from the authors' background as university professors, the paper concentrates on approaches to promote information literacy in higher education. The paper concludes by pointing to the need to expand the debate on information literacy and how to raise ethical and moral concerns in the use of the Internet and the new technologies. It also explores the potential role that the European Commission eSafe (2003‐2004) programme can play to encourage research and practice on information literacy in its widest sense, as an intrinsic competency in the fight against the effects of disseminating illegal and harmful content through online and other new technologies.