The Modern Nature of Digital Citizenship
Digital Citizenship is derived from concepts that have been around for far longer than the internet. Every societal function has common norms, ethical and moral responsibilities, standard ways of conducting everyday business. However, these concepts entered a new framework with the introduction of the online world. As defined by Digitalcitizenship.net, Digital Citizenship is, “the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use.”
The societal responsibilities of acceptable ways of going about things are now just as important online; some may argue even more important with the anonymity the internet entails. The key to having digital citizenship is to treat others online with respect. The norms that develop throughout communication and interaction hold a moral responsibility to respect and care for others. The quote listed above mentions an important aspect of this; it’s continuous nature. We can see in all areas of our lives that what is normal one year may not be normal the next. The same goes for online interactions. Part of digital citizenship is keeping up with these ever-changing norms. Another important understanding of digital citizenship is that there are subparts that require educated understanding. As told by Virtuallibrary.info, “digital citizenship includes digital literacy, ethics, etiquette, online safety, norms, rights, culture, and more.”
In order to break this complex concept down further, I will provide my own definition in hopes that it will be understandable to all. Digital citizenship is the responsible and careful way we conduct our online interactions. From understanding what is acceptable to post and say to respect others who have differences to intellectually using internet functions. Users of the online world have the power to create and interact, but simultaneously have the responsibility to do so in a reasonable and respectful manner.
Now let's explore the difference between the overarching term of digital citizenship and one of its subparts: digital literacy. Digital citizenship is the overall way in which users conduct online interactions, specifically in a positive and empowered manner. In order to do this, digital literacy is required. As defined by ncsl.org, digital literacy refers to, “fluency in the use and security of interactive tools and searchable networks.”
Essentially, digital literacy is the skills required to use the internet. This entails navigating popups, critical reasoning through vast information, understanding how to interact with others, etc. These are very similar concepts as we can see. They are directly related to each other in that they are the expected ways that people use the internet. They both encompass all ways in which we should communicate and learn online. However, the important distinction lies in their function. Digital literacy is knowing how to use the internet while digital citizenship is knowing how to do this in a responsible and positive manner. Take this example in order to understand greater; a user of the internet could have all the digital literacy skills needed to function online. However, they would be lacking digital citizenship if they chose to use these skills to create negative experiences for other users. If they were to use their skills to bully others, sure, they would have digital literacy, but they would be a negatively contributing user and thus, lack digital citizenship. You see, in order to be an empowered contributor to the online world, we must have both of these things. One cannot function effectively without the other. So how can one ensure they are encompassing both concepts?
Knowledge and education are important to be the most informed and effective people on any topic. This can be translated directly to ensuring that we have the digital literacy skills in order to be digital citizens. There are vast amounts of resources for teaching these skills at the K-12 level. Commonsense.org has a whole curriculum based on age level up to grade 12.
However, adults need this knowledge just as much as kids do.
Adults are among the greatest users of online sites, especially during a pandemic. From higher education to careers to simple functions like paying bills and keeping up with loved ones, most adults use the internet every day. We have grown accustomed to sitting at our computers or phones to get things done. However, we must learn how to be digital citizens just like young kids are being taught. Adults hold more responsibility in their online interactions than young kids do. We are gaining higher education and developing careers in the online environment; greatly thanks to Covid. With greater responsibility, comes greater expectations. Yet there are far fewer opportunities to explicitly learn these digital citizenship skills. I believe that there should be college or community courses that offer an opportunity to teach these skills. Professors, deans, even bosses can provide these options to their comrades in order to develop the effectiveness of online usage for the masses. From ensuring we know the basic functions of the internet to understand what norms exist and how it is appropriate to interact, it is important to learn the digital literacy skills that are essential to productive online functions.
Beyond the potential for courses or curriculums geared towards adult internet users, we hold the potential to share our skills with others. Communicating intelligence and educating others can be more difficult for young digital citizens. However, adults are very apt to sharing with their peers. As students in this UMN course, we can share our digital skills with our friends and family. Even in informal settings, there is a great deal that can be distributed. This is something we can do easily and readily. Share your skills with others and never forget their importance in your own life as well. Develop your understanding of the online world. Participate in discussions, watch educational videos, communicate positively with others. You never know who may be looking to you as an example so make sure you are being a digital citizen yourself.
