Literacy in Three Metaphors

In trying to understand what multiliteracy was in order to help me understand the first article, I searched for the definition of literacy in the dictionary, without ever thinking that the term literacy would be more complicated than that.
When reading the very first page of the article "Literacy in Three Metaphors" by Sylvia Scribner, I was frowning and thinking to myself, " How difficult could it be to define literacy? Isn't it to learn to read, write and about having knowledge in various skills? Doesn't everyone need that?"
Obviously these thoughts was centred on my life experiences, where literacy has mostly been about reading and writing, and lately about being computer literate. I have never thought about what literacy would mean to different parts of the world or different cultures.
As I read on the article, I began to see why defining literacy was complicated, and at the same time, understood the differing views about literacy's social purposes and values - Literacy as Adaptation, Power and as a State of Grace. At the end of the article, there was no clear definition on literacy because it truly depends on how a particular society or culture views and values it. For us to conceptualize literacy, we have to be aware of the 'varied utilities of literacy and of the complex social and psychological factors sustaining aspirations for and achievement of individual literacy' in a particular society, culture and circumstance. We have to know the extent of literacy's survival or pragmatic value, it's emphasis on on the relationship between literacy and community advancement as well as propensity for self-enhancing.
In Singapore, literacy's survival and pragmatic value goes beyond just learning to read and write - it includes being able to work on the computer and other digital teachnologies; in other words being a 'digital literate' in order to truly survive in this fast technologically advancing nation. There is also the capacity for literacy to confer to power albeit subtly, because as literacy 'self-enhances' a person, it would naturally boost a person's capacity to progress in the community and society.
Digital literacy as mentioned above does not stand on its own but is interconnected to other forms of literacy, because without knowledge and skills of other literacies, it would be difficult to progress and advance in digital literacy. For example, we need to know how to read and comprehend its meaning in order to read instructions on digital products or processes and carry out the right action i.e. setting up a blog.