Electronic illiteracy refers to the inability to handle new technologies due to lack of knowledge, ignorance and exclusion. While anyone can be a technological illiterate, often highlight in those sectors excluded from society. It also addresses the degree of illiteracy tends to vary with respect to age, sex, religion, customs, countries, etc. Another factor that increases the electronic illiteracy is technophobia.

You can also change over time:
A non e-literate today may be in the future, can show rapid and constant advancement of technology and may become an inventor of a New High Tech Product.

Technological illiteracy rates

• Full or absolute: one that lacks any kind of knowledge in the management of computers or similar devices.

• Relative or functional: the one who has basic knowledge, or who has lost over time or knowledge has not been updated accordingly.

Social exclusion: Illiteracy source address Electronic illiteracy is often not an immediate problem for the person, indeed, many digital illiterates often have unmet basic needs and have no interest in any kind of new technologies. Often illiterate, have no incentive to cease to be, and perhaps even unaware of their condition. Generally, problems arise when they must handle any new technology. A clear example of this is the introduction of electronic voting, which is usually more complicated to implement in low economic and social development (and hence technology).

Media Adaption
They have now begun to use various terms that many people have confused or no idea of its existence. In any means “old” as television, radio, magazines and newspapers, certain words are used and no longer explain their meaning: mp3, internet surfing, CD, DVD, phone, e-mail are just some of the terms used assuming that the reader will understand. Most of these terms begin to be used in professional, technical or engineering and then be rolled out generally associated with commercial products extremely popular. Therefore, an address is not only illiterate who cannot handle the new technologies, but who know the terminology associated with them.

Ways of measuring technological illiteracy
There is no single way to measure technological illiteracy, or the degree of illiteracy of a person or a social group. In general, the indicators used to measure the digital literacy are:

• Percentage of population using internet, place and manner of internet access, frequency, percentage of households with Internet access, public access number, etc.
• Cost of Internet access, computers and other technologies. Connection speed and available services.
• Percentage of users with computer security.
• Number of computers, phones, digital cameras (and any other modern device) per thousand inhabitants.
• Percentage of students and graduates in careers related to computing and technology.

Combating digital illiteracy
Many countries are beginning to understand that e-illiteracy is another indicator of social exclusion and must be fought from the school. Other ways to combat digital illiteracy is investment in new technologies by the state and private companies, cheaper access to technology, and improvements in social indicators such as unemployment, wages, etc.