Media and information literacy through the prism of convergence and divergence

Abstract

In the paper the author firstly discusses the process of formation of a media and information literacy in the context of convergence and divergence, which replace each other.  The author also discusses etymology of the concepts and their evolution in the system of humanities. The author focuses special attention on the global environment, according to which concepts moved from the theory of the evolution to the social and economic theories and  began  to  be  used  applicable  to  the  economic,  political  and  ideological  processes occurring in society. The process of divergence is discussed in details, as the example of the crushing and addition of meanings in the concept of literacy from basic skills of reading and  writing  to  a  variety  of  different  forms  and  types  of  literacy  arised  in  the  digital  age. The subjects of more detailed discussion are information literacy and media literacy, their theoretical basis and practical application. Convergent processes are revealed through the concept of media-information literacy (MIL), proclaimed by UNESCO in the early XXI century. The article provides the most current at the moment definitions of MIL.
In conclusion, the author states that it is possible to extrapolate to information systems by studying the history of the development of living systems as a kind of change of divergence and  convergence  processes.  Author  also  concludes  that  we  will  create  a  new  process  of divergence of thought-forms, which will make fundamentally new competences in the near future, as a result of contemporary rethinking of the concept of synergetic media-information literacy.