The advent of the "information age," and the electronic communication technologies that are part of it, was supposed to replace print. However, this has not been the case, as the amount of print materials being produced and read has increased along with the electronic equipment. Far from replacing established media and communication skills, new media often give them an extended lease on life. However, as technology changes, the definitions of literacy change, and those at the bottom of the literacy pyramid find themselves increasingly disadvantaged. Jobs that once required only good workers now demand reading instructions and using computers. As more and more people acquire basic literacy, the standards for rising above the lowest levels of society are raised. Higher and higher education and higher forms of literacy become the norms for entrance into elite groups. This phenomenon dashes hopes for "universal literacy," since the requirements of literacy continue to increase, but this does not mean that literacy efforts should be abandoned. Individuals still benefit from skill development; however, identifying wishful thinking ultimately facilitates progress. (KC)