Choose language
Dansk -
What is Digital Competence?
By Anders Skov, internet sociologist
Center for Digital Dannelse.
Digital competence is not a fixed set of technical skills. It develops alongside technological change and must always be understood in relation to how people learn, work, participate in society and manage everyday life through digital technologies.
This article is structured in line with DigComp 3.0: European Digital Competence Framework, the latest version of the European framework for digital competence. DigComp 3.0 provides a shared language for understanding, assessing and developing digital competence across contexts.
More than tool use
Digital competence is more than knowing how to operate devices or use popular platforms. It also includes the ability to search for and evaluate information, communicate and collaborate responsibly, create and adapt content, protect oneself and others, and identify and solve problems in digital environments.
Definition of Digital Competence
Digital competence is the confident, critical and responsible use of, and engagement with, digital technologies for learning, work and participation in society. It combines knowledge, skills and attitudes related to searching, evaluating, communicating, collaborating, creating, protecting and solving problems in digital environments.
More than frequent use
Frequent use of technology does not automatically lead to digital competence. A person may use digital services every day without being able to assess credibility, protect data, understand digital rights, collaborate effectively or use technology in a purposeful and responsible way. Competence depends not only on use, but also on judgement, context awareness and critical reflection.
A framework for lifelong learning
Digital competence changes as technologies, practices and social expectations change. DigComp 3.0 therefore provides a useful reference for lifelong learning, because it describes digital competence as a broad and developing combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes. It can be used in education, training, employment and organisational development.
Mapping digital competence
To map digital competence, broad concepts must be translated into more concrete and assessable elements. DigComp 3.0 makes this possible by organising digital competence into competence areas, competences, competence statements, learning outcomes and proficiency levels.
This is useful because digital competence is no longer only about access to and use of technology. It is about the ability to benefit from digital technologies in meaningful, critical and responsible ways across life, work, learning and participation in society.
At the same time, the framework is technology-neutral. This means that it can be adapted to different contexts without becoming tied to one specific platform, device or trend. This is especially important in a time where artificial intelligence, data-driven systems, cybersecurity, digital wellbeing and sustainability are increasingly part of everyday digital practice.
Digital competence consists of several learning domains
Digital competence combines knowledge, skills and attitudes. Knowledge concerns what people understand about digital technologies, systems, data, rules, risks and opportunities. Skills concern what people are able to do in practice. Attitudes concern how people judge situations, take responsibility, act ethically and relate to others in digital environments.
These dimensions are interdependent. Increased knowledge may improve judgement. Practical experience may reveal the need for further learning. Attitudes shape whether people use technologies carelessly or critically, passively or purposefully, individually or collaboratively.
KnowledgeKnowledge is what people understand about digital technologies, systems, data, rules, risks, opportunities and consequences.
Examples
Knows that AI-generated content can contain errors and should be checked.
Understands why personal data, permissions and access rights matter.
Knows that digital services can influence attention, choices and behaviour.
SkillsSkills are what people can do in practice when they use digital technologies to search, create, collaborate, protect, configure or solve problems.
Examples
Can use filters, shared documents, privacy settings and authentication tools.
Can create and edit digital content in formats that fit the audience and purpose.
Can troubleshoot common technical problems systematically.
AttitudesAttitudes are the values, priorities and forms of judgement that guide how people act in digital environments.
Examples
Acts critically when information looks convincing but lacks documentation.
Takes responsibility for how content, data and communication affect others.
Is willing to learn and update digital practices as technologies change.
The method for strengthening digital competence depends on which learning domain needs attention. Knowledge can be developed through teaching, reading or explanation. Skills can be developed by solving concrete tasks and practising with tools. Attitudes are often more difficult to change, because they are connected to habits, values, motivation, confidence and responsibility.
For this reason, competence development should not only ask whether people can use a tool. It should also ask whether they understand the context and consequences of using it, and whether they are able to act responsibly and independently.
Digital competences overlap different life spheres
Digital competence is relevant across multiple areas of life. People search for information, use public services, participate in communities, communicate with colleagues, create content, protect data, solve technical problems and make decisions influenced by digital systems.
What is learned in one context often carries over into another. The ability to evaluate information may matter in education, at work, in health-related decisions and in democratic participation. The ability to collaborate digitally may matter in professional teams, volunteer communities and family coordination. The ability to manage digital identity may affect both employability and personal relationships.
Digital friend/family
Communicate with family and friends, coordinate everyday life and participate in social communities.
Digital citizen
Use public services, follow societal debates and participate in democratic processes through digital technologies.
Digital consumer
Search for information, compare products, manage purchases and understand rights in digital environments.
Digital employee
Collaborate with colleagues, solve tasks, communicate professionally and develop competences in a digital workplace.
Areas influenced by digital competence
Digital competence influences how people learn, work, communicate, participate, protect themselves and solve problems. The following examples show areas where digital competence, or the lack of it, may have practical consequences.
Learning and education
Digital competence supports the ability to search for knowledge, evaluate sources, use learning platforms, collaborate on assignments and understand when digital tools or AI systems can support learning without replacing independent thinking.
Work and employability
Most jobs now require some level of digital competence. Employees must communicate, collaborate, handle data, use digital systems responsibly and adapt as technologies change.
Participation and citizenship
Digital technologies influence access to public services, civic participation and democratic debate. Digital competence helps people participate, make informed choices and understand their rights and responsibilities online.
Privacy, security and data protection
Digital competence helps people protect devices, accounts, personal data and organisational information against risks such as phishing, impersonation, weak passwords and unsafe sharing.
Health and wellbeing
Digital competence includes the ability to use technology in ways that support attention, balance, inclusion and mental and physical wellbeing, while recognising harmful patterns or digital pressure.
Creativity and innovation
Digital technologies can be used to create new content, improve workflows, automate tasks, visualise ideas and develop new products, services or forms of participation.
Inclusion and accessibility
Digital competence can reduce barriers when technologies are chosen and adapted to different needs, but lack of competence may also reinforce exclusion and inequality.
Sustainability
Digital technologies have environmental impacts through devices, energy use, data storage and infrastructure. Digital competence includes awareness of these impacts and the ability to make more sustainable choices.
Competence areas in DigComp 3.0
DigComp 3.0 organises digital competence into five competence areas. There is overlap between the areas in practice, but the division makes it easier to understand, discuss and map a complex field.
The five competence areas are broad enough to cover the major dimensions of digital competence, but precise enough to serve as a foundation for assessment, learning design and targeted competence development.
Information search, evaluation and management
The ability to articulate information needs, search for and retrieve digital information and content, judge relevance, critically evaluate sources and generated content, and manage information and data in structured digital environments.
Communication and collaboration
The ability to interact, share, participate and collaborate through digital technologies while being aware of diversity, context, rights, norms and digital identity.
Content creation
The ability to create, edit, improve and integrate digital content, while understanding copyright, licences, computational thinking and programming.
Safety, wellbeing and responsible use
The ability to protect devices, content, personal data and privacy, while supporting wellbeing, inclusion, responsible use and environmental sustainability.
Problem identification and solving
The ability to identify needs, select and adapt technologies, solve technical and conceptual problems, create improvements and recognise competence development needs.
The competence areas are still relatively broad. In order to make them concrete and assessable, each area is divided into specific competences.
The following sections present the twenty-one competences in DigComp 3.0. For each competence, examples show what it means to be strong in that competence in contemporary digital practice.
Information search, evaluation and management
Information search, evaluation and management: The ability to articulate information needs, search for and retrieve digital information and content, judge relevance, critically evaluate sources and generated content, and manage information and data in structured digital environments.
This competence area concerns how people search for, evaluate and manage information in digital environments. In a contemporary context, this also includes the ability to assess AI-generated content, platform recommendations and data-based information critically.
Browsing, searching and filtering information
To identify information needs, search for information and content in digital environments, access and navigate between them, and adapt personal search strategies.
Examples of strong competence
Can define a clear information need before searching.
Can use search filters, databases and specialised sources depending on the task.
Can compare results from search engines, organisational systems and AI-assisted tools.
Can adjust search strategies when the first results are too broad, biased or irrelevant.
Evaluating information
To analyse, compare and critically evaluate the credibility and reliability of sources, information and digital content, including content generated by digital systems.
Examples of strong competence
Can assess the credibility, relevance and purpose of digital information.
Can compare sources and identify missing documentation, bias or uncertainty.
Can critically evaluate AI-generated answers before relying on them.
Can distinguish between persuasive presentation and well-founded information.
Managing information
To organise, store, retrieve, process and manage information, data and digital content in structured digital environments.
Examples of strong competence
Can organise files, data and digital content so they can be retrieved and reused.
Can use meaningful file names, folders, metadata, tags or shared workspaces.
Can choose appropriate storage formats and locations with regard to access and security.
Can maintain overview in shared drives, cloud services and collaborative systems.
Communication and collaboration
Communication and collaboration: The ability to interact, share, participate and collaborate through digital technologies while being aware of diversity, context, rights, norms and digital identity.
This competence area concerns digital interaction as a social and organisational practice. It includes communication, sharing, civic participation, collaboration, digital behaviour and digital identity.
Interacting through and with digital technologies
To interact through and with a variety of digital technologies and to understand appropriate digital communication for a given context.
Examples of strong competence
Can choose an appropriate communication channel for a specific context.
Can adapt communication to email, chat, video meeting, shared documents or platform messages.
Can understand how digital tools shape tone, timing and expectations.
Can interact appropriately with both people and digital systems.
Sharing through digital technologies
To share information and content ethically and responsibly through appropriate digital technologies.
Examples of strong competence
Can share information and content with the right audience and level of access.
Can consider consent, privacy and relevance before sharing.
Can credit sources and indicate when content has been adapted or reused.
Can avoid forwarding unverified, confidential or misleading information.
Engaging in citizenship through digital technologies
To participate in society through digital platforms and services while being aware of rights, opportunities and responsibilities.
Examples of strong competence
Can use digital public services and participate in digital civic life.
Can understand digital rights, responsibilities and participation opportunities.
Can use digital channels to access information, make choices or express concerns.
Can participate constructively in online communities and public digital spaces.
Collaborating through digital technologies
To use digital technologies ethically and responsibly for collaboration, co-construction and co-creation of information, resources and knowledge.
Examples of strong competence
Can use shared digital tools for planning, writing, feedback and coordination.
Can contribute to co-created documents, resources or knowledge bases.
Can work transparently with roles, changes, comments and version history.
Can support collaboration while respecting responsibilities, deadlines and access rights.
Digital behaviour
To be aware of behavioural norms in digital environments and to adapt communication respectfully and appropriately to context and diversity.
Examples of strong competence
Can communicate respectfully and appropriately in digital environments.
Can adapt tone and formality to audience, context and medium.
Can handle disagreement, misunderstanding or conflict constructively online.
Can recognise how cultural, generational or professional differences affect digital communication.
Managing digital identity
To manage one or more digital identities, protect digital reputation and understand and handle digital footprints.
Examples of strong competence
Can manage professional and private digital presence deliberately.
Can understand how posts, profiles, comments and platform data shape digital reputation.
Can protect personal information and make informed choices about visibility.
Can review and adjust digital traces across services and platforms.
Content creation
Content creation: The ability to create, edit, improve and integrate digital content, while understanding copyright, licences, computational thinking and programming.
This competence area concerns the ability to create and adapt digital content responsibly. It includes creative production, reuse and transformation of existing content, copyright and computational thinking.
Developing digital content
To use digital technologies ethically and responsibly to create and edit digital content in different formats and express oneself through digital means.
Examples of strong competence
Can create and edit digital content in formats such as text, image, audio, video or presentations.
Can choose a format that fits the audience, purpose and context.
Can use digital tools to communicate clearly and accessibly.
Can improve content through editing, feedback and iteration.
Integrating and re-elaborating digital content
To modify, refine and integrate new information and content into existing knowledge and resources to create new and original content.
Examples of strong competence
Can combine existing materials into new and meaningful content.
Can adapt information from several sources into a coherent product.
Can revise, remix or improve digital content while keeping context and purpose clear.
Can use AI-assisted tools critically as part of drafting, editing or restructuring content.
Copyright and licences
To understand how copyright, licences and related legal and ethical issues apply to digital content and how to apply them correctly.
Examples of strong competence
Can understand when digital content may be used, shared, modified or published.
Can recognise common licensing principles such as attribution and permitted reuse.
Can credit sources and respect the rights of creators.
Can consider copyright and ethical issues when using AI-generated or remixed content.
Computational thinking and programming
To analyse problems, recognise sub-problems, and plan and develop instructions for a computing system to solve a task or perform a function.
Examples of strong competence
Can break a problem into smaller steps that can be handled logically.
Can understand basic sequences, rules, conditions or automation logic.
Can plan simple instructions for a digital system to perform a task.
Can understand how structured thinking supports automation, troubleshooting and system use.
Safety, wellbeing and responsible use
Safety, wellbeing and responsible use: The ability to protect devices, content, personal data and privacy, while supporting wellbeing, inclusion, responsible use and environmental sustainability.
This competence area concerns safety in a broad sense. It includes cybersecurity, privacy, wellbeing, inclusion, digital harm, responsible use and environmental sustainability.
Protecting devices
To apply safety and cybersecurity measures to protect digital devices and content, while being aware of changing risks and threats.
Examples of strong competence
Can keep devices, software and systems updated.
Can use strong authentication, passwords, passkeys or multi-factor authentication.
Can recognise signs of malware, phishing or unauthorised access.
Can take appropriate action when a device or account may be compromised.
Protecting personal data and privacy
To understand and exercise rights related to personal data and privacy, evaluate risks, and manage data safely, ethically and responsibly.
Examples of strong competence
Can identify personal and sensitive data in digital environments.
Can adjust privacy settings and manage permissions responsibly.
Can evaluate risks before sharing personal, organisational or confidential information.
Can understand that protecting privacy also includes protecting other people’s data.
Supporting wellbeing
To use digital technologies in ways that support physical, mental and social wellbeing, inclusion and protection from harm in digital environments.
Examples of strong competence
Can recognise how digital technologies affect attention, stress, sleep, relationships and work-life balance.
Can set boundaries for notifications, availability and digital interruptions.
Can respond to harmful content, harassment or exclusion in digital environments.
Can use digital technologies in ways that support inclusion, health and wellbeing.
Protecting the environment
To understand the environmental impact of digital technologies and take action to reduce that impact and support sustainability.
Examples of strong competence
Can understand that digital technologies have environmental impacts through devices, energy use and data infrastructure.
Can extend device lifetime through care, repair and responsible replacement.
Can reduce unnecessary storage, streaming, printing or hardware consumption where relevant.
Can use digital technologies to support more sustainable practices.
Problem identification and solving
Problem identification and solving: The ability to identify needs, select and adapt technologies, solve technical and conceptual problems, create improvements and recognise competence development needs.
This competence area concerns the ability to respond when needs change, tools do not work, new possibilities emerge or people need to develop their digital competence further.
Identifying and solving technical problems
To identify technical problems when operating digital devices or environments and solve them through different means.
Examples of strong competence
Can troubleshoot common problems with devices, software, access, sync or connectivity.
Can test possible solutions systematically before escalating a problem.
Can search for reliable help and document recurring issues.
Can learn from technical problems and become more independent over time.
Identifying needs and digital technological responses
To assess needs and identify, evaluate, select, use and adapt digital technologies to meet those needs in context.
Examples of strong competence
Can assess what a person, team or organisation needs before choosing a digital tool.
Can compare tools in relation to accessibility, security, usability and purpose.
Can adjust digital environments to fit tasks, workflows and users.
Can avoid choosing technology simply because it is new or available.
Identifying creative solutions using digital technologies
To use digital technologies to create improvements or new solutions for processes and products through critical, creative and purposeful use.
Examples of strong competence
Can use digital technologies to improve processes, products or services.
Can experiment with new digital methods while keeping human needs central.
Can use digital tools creatively to understand and solve conceptual problems.
Can combine existing tools, templates, automation or AI support in new useful ways.
Identifying and addressing digital competence needs
To recognise where digital competence needs to be improved or updated, seek development opportunities, support others and stay informed about digital change.
Examples of strong competence
Can recognise when one’s own digital competence needs to be updated.
Can seek relevant learning opportunities and stay informed about digital developments.
Can support colleagues or others in developing digital competence.
Can reflect on how new technologies may affect work, learning and society.
Mapping digital competence in practice
When digital competence is mapped, broad concepts must be translated into concrete and assessable elements. DigComp 3.0 makes this possible by organising digital competence into competence areas, competences, competence statements, learning outcomes and proficiency levels.
This is especially useful in a context where digital competence increasingly includes issues such as misinformation, cybersecurity, digital rights, wellbeing, sustainability and the implications of artificial intelligence. DigComp 3.0 integrates AI across all competences rather than treating it as a separate competence area.
As a result, DigComp 3.0 offers a valuable basis for developing surveys, self-reflection tools, competence wheels, educational designs and organisational strategies that aim to understand and strengthen digital competence in a systematic way.
Conclusion
Digital competence is best understood as a broad, evolving and context-sensitive combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes. It is not reducible to technical familiarity or frequent use. Rather, it concerns how people navigate digital environments critically, responsibly and purposefully across learning, work, participation and everyday life.
By offering a shared structure built around five competence areas and twenty-one competences, DigComp 3.0 makes it possible to understand digital competence more clearly and to work with it more systematically. It turns a broad and sometimes abstract field into something that can be described, discussed, mapped and developed in practice.
Sources
- Cosgrove, J. & Cachia, R. (2025). DigComp 3.0: European Digital Competence Framework. Publications Office of the European Union.
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre. DigComp 3.0 overview.
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre. Digital Competence Framework for Citizens.
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre. All editions of DigComp and related JRC publications.
- Vuorikari, R., Kluzer, S. & Punie, Y. (2022). DigComp 2.2: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens. Publications Office of the European Union.
- Clifford, I. et al. (2020). DigCompSAT: A Self-reflection Tool for the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens. Joint Research Centre.
- Kluzer, S. et al. (2020). DigComp at Work: The EU’s digital competence framework in action on the labour market. Joint Research Centre.
- European Commission. Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027.
- UNESCO (2024). AI competency framework for students.