I think it changes the literacy rates. I don't think it's as easy to say it reduces literacy rates, because we all know that a lot of 14-year-olds have an incredible grasp of technology, but it certainly changes the way we look at literacy.
One of the things the literacy community has recently done is really examine the place of basic technology in our definitions of literacy. As we are all well aware, computers, with the ability to send emails and the ability to access information electronically, are becoming things that are needed in order to fully participate in the workforce and, a lot of the time, to fully participate in society.
I don't think it's as easy as saying that BlackBerrys are reducing our literacy rates. I think that with evolving technology we have to develop the skills we need in order to succeed.
It's why literacy organizations are so important. They're able to use these new technologies and new information to try to help people learn in order to fully function in society.