Literacy and Defining the Self

Literacy is an oft used word with a plurality of meanings that ultimately serve to underscore our human inability to conceptualize a universal definition of self.
Is Paris Hilton literate? ""I used to act dumb. ... That act is no longer cute," ABC quoted Hilton as saying. Is Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis or actor Tom Cruise literate? How would you - the reader - define their literacy? Our educational system promotes literacy but we bestow fame upon almost anyone without defining the parameters of their literacy. It seems that the meaning of Literacy varies in direct relation to how the word is used. "The traditional definition of literacy is the ability to use language-to read, write, listen, and speak. In modern contexts, the word means reading and writing in a level adequate for written communication and generally a level that enables one to successfully function at certain levels of any modern society, thus literacy plays a role in providing access to power" (Wikipedia, 2006). Overall, literacy can refer to cultural literacy, basic literacy, functional literacy or content literacy.