While not aiming to constitute a scientifically representative study, data collected through REIsearch’s 2018 gamified survey in a Gdpr compliant modality, is in line with previous observations on European’s digital skills and has shed a few indications on the general level of awareness of the European public on topics such as AI, social media and digital skills.

However, the most important observation is the need for accessible tools for self-evaluation of one’s digital skills not only in the professional domain but expecially on the general knowledge of the digital world. This requires a non specialistic language, and a playful voice for questions to make participation fun. Recommendations for more support to member states in developing infrastructure and connectivity as well as expanding advanced and lifelong training companies and Universities already abundant.

However, as recently noted by UNESCO, the the most critical area seem entry-level digital skills, meaning basic functional skills required to make basic use of digital devices and online applications, are widely considered a critical component of a new set of literacy skills in the digital era, with traditional reading, writing, and numeracy skills.

At the advanced spectrum of digital skills are the higher-level abilities that allow users to make use of digital technologies in empowering and transformative ways such as professions in ICT. Major digital transformations such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, big data analytics, change skills requirements and, in turn, impact capacity building and skills development for the 21st century digital economy.

To thrive in the connected economy and society, digital skills must also function together with other abilities such as strong literacy and numeracy skills, critical and innovative thinking, complex problem solving, an ability to collaborate, and socio-emotional skills.

The topics of future media and citizen engagement campaigns should therefore be designed to maximise dissemina- tion of the resources made available on the REIsearch platform (e.g. for 2018 these cover four areas of coumputer science: Big data and analytics; internet of things; social media; cybersecurity) and to other contents made available on the new REIsearch platform.

The more user friendly, entertaining as well as informative, engagement campaign of 2018 has been met with strong approval by our media partners (El País, Der Standard, Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung, Il Sole24Ore, Les Echos and Pùblico), as it is better aligned with their content and readership and technically simpler to integrate in their websites.

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