La lettura online come nuova dimensione della literacy

The essence of reading is changing, and is complicated by the need to knowhow to read hypertexts online. Such texts require a different way of process-ing the content, which has gained importance with the boom of informationon the Internet and with its recognition as an important medium of commu-nication, entertainment, and information. However, if the immense availabil-ity information has, as its possible consequence, raised so much the need toread, it harbours within it the potential of turning people away from a fo-cused reading. The reason for this is that the understanding of the onlinecontent is the outcome of investment in research, evaluation, constructionand reconstruction of the text, as well as a range of other skills that cannot betaken for granted in the actual reader, who is therefore led astray by her lackof knowledge. Indeed, the teaching of these new skills generates seriousdoubts in terms of opportunities and modes of action, thus forcing to startagain a reflection on the delicate role of those who have to alphabetize whennew socio-cultural scenarios emerge. Whether and how could the schooltake action in a field that is to-date abandoned to informal practices? Somestudies suggest the opportunity to move towards techniques able to promotethe processes of “self-regulation”, which are essential in the understandingof hypertext found online (and not only there). However, there are still toofew studies on strategies for the reading and comprehension of non-lineartexts; moreover, empirical data are not enough to enable an assessment ofthe effectiveness of these instructional techniques.