What does it mean to be literate?

Here is an article by Bridget Webber discussing that literacy equates to freedom because choices are less limited through comprehension.
http://www.helium.com/items/1171460-how-reading-and-writing-can-give-you-confidence-and-power

The article below is by Motoko Rich from the New York Times. This article highlights the debate on if the internet is the enemy of of literacy (due to the countless hours online, standardized test scores decrease).
http://www.helium.com/items/1171460-how-reading-and-writing-can-give-you-confidence-and-power

The following link highlights aspects of literacy rates in the 21st century: Significance of literacy levels, Adult Literacy in America, Global Adult Literacy, Youth Literacy, and the methods of testing literacy.
http://www.warriorlibrarian.com/CURRICULUM/global_literacy.html