What does it mean to be literate today?

The language used in education shapes policy, practice, and perceptions. Edge’s series asks, What's in a Word? and scrutinises the impact of the terminology we commonly employ.

This question sits at the heart of our work at the National Literacy Trust — and one that feels more urgent than ever. The Go All In campaign launched for the National Year of Reading focusses on the myriad ways that young people engage with reading. Today, literacy is as much about navigating images, sounds, screens and systems as it is about decoding text on a page. At its core, literacy remains the ability to read, write, speak and listen in ways that let us communicate effectively and make sense of our lives. Yet the world in which we use these skills has become profoundly multimodal: a world of podcasts, subtitles, memes, games and AI chatbots. The boundaries between reading, writing, speaking and listening have blurred into a connected web of communication.

Our studies found that 79% of young people who play games also read related materials, and 63% write about games in some form. These spaces foster the same skills that traditional reading does — interpretation, imagination, collaboration — while introducing new dimensions of creativity. Recognising these forms of literacy helps children see themselves as readers in ways that feel relevant and empowering. Similarly, audiobooks have transformed listening from a niche practice into a mainstream literacy experience. Many children now say they enjoy listening even more than reading, describing audiobooks as calming, inclusive and imaginative. As our research shows, listening strengthens vocabulary, comprehension and wellbeing. It’s not a substitute for reading, but a companion to it.

Literacy is not only a foundation for learning but a foundation for life. In every profession, the ability to interpret, analyse and communicate information is essential, and increasingly digital. As explored in this blog from the National Literacy Trust, employers now value skills rooted in effective communication and critical thinking: the ability to write clearly, speak persuasively, think critically and use digital tools responsibly. Automation and AI are changing jobs, but human strengths such as empathy, reasoning and creativity remain irreplaceable. Literacy sits at the centre of all of these. In this sense, literacy is as much an economic and civic skill as an educational one.

Generative AI has brought literacy into a new era. Around half of young people now use AI tools to support their reading and writing — checking grammar, expanding vocabulary or summarising information. To use generative AI well demands more literacy, not less. It requires young people to evaluate sources, question bias and judge credibility. As the work of the National Literacy Trust makes clear, reading and writing remain the foundations that allow users to communicate effectively with AI, and to think critically about what it creates.

To talk about literacy today is to talk about participation, equity and empowerment. Literacy changes everything: it opens doors to learning, wellbeing and opportunity, but only if we recognise it in all the forms through which young people now encounter language. That means supporting teachers to integrate multimodal texts, giving families access to books and digital resources, and ensuring libraries and communities remain hubs of equity and inclusion. Ultimately, literacy today is not about resisting change but shaping it. To be literate today is to navigate a world of words, images and ideas: to read deeply, think critically and communicate with empathy. Our task now is to ensure that every child and young person can claim their place in this expanding landscape of literacy — and use it to go all in.