There are 9 key elements to Digital Citizenship:
- Digital Access – This is the fundamental right to have access to the internet. Once considered a luxury, the internet is now an essential component of most people’s lives. Some information and/or services cannot be obtained or acquired in any other way. While it is true not every person has access to the internet due to socioeconomic barriers, this digital divide is quickly becoming less of an issue. Schools and libraries now provide access to the internet for small fees and in some cases for free.
- Digital Commerce – This is the right to trade and participate in commerce online. Virtually every major store or business in the country has an online presence and a website. Many of these companies also provide steeper discounts for customers who shop online. Some businesses even provide online coupons which can then be used in brick and mortar stores. There is also the right to have access to commerce to sell as well as buy. Websites like Amazon and Ebay now allow the small business owner or average citizen to sell merchandise and products domestically and internationally.
- Digital Communication – The right to have access to electronic mail, social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook. Once considered digital luxuries, email in particular has become an essential necessity woven into the very fiber of our lives. We use email to communicate with family and friends. We also use it to conduct business or even to seek employment. Even job seekers need access to the internet as 98% of jobs are advertised exclusively in the digital space.
- Digital Literacy – This is the ability to be able to understand how to use the tools and platforms available to you on the internet. What good is a portal to the combined knowledge of the species if you don’t know how to use it? Conducting online searches, signing up for an email address and being able to send and reply to online correspondence are all part of this platform.
- Digital Etiquette – This is the expectation that the common user of the internet via all its connected portals will know how to engage with other users in a respectful, polite and reasonable manner. If you have ever participated or observed a heated debate/discussion on Facebook or in the comments section of a discussion board, you know how easily it is to abandon etiquette.
- Digital Law – This references the need to have a common set of laws to deal with illegal behavior in the digital setting. Anyone who has been online for even a short amount of time is potentially a target for computer viruses/malicious software, identity theft or cyber-bullying. Illegal downloads and file-sharing are other legitimate concerns.
- Digital Rights and Responsibilities – This deals with the rights of the user to free speech to express oneself as he or she sees fit as long as it is within the guidelines of acceptable and polite online behavior. It also speaks to the right to have privacy of information and correspondence from private and government agencies. There is always an engaging debate to be had reference the Patriot Act of 2001 reference how some right to privacy can be violated if it is for the protection of the United States and its citizens.
- Digital Health – This speaks to the right of the digital citizen to have access to the internet so long as it does not make them overly dependent on the platform. There are other health complications which fall under the umbrella of digital health such as eye strain as well as mental and physical stress.
- Digital Security – This references the right of the digital user to take active steps to protect and safeguard vital information such as social security numbers, physical addresses and personal files. The digital citizen has a right to software which will protect him or her for viruses, cyber-attacks and loss of information due to hardware failure.
Resources
Digital Citizenship: Resource Roundup. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/article/digital-citizenship-resources#graph3
K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum | Common Sense Media. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2015, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum
Ribble, Mike. Digital Citizenship Using Technology Appropriately. Retrieved 2015. 23 Oct. 2015, from http://www. digitalcitizenship.net/nine_elements.html
Digital Citizenship: Resource Roundup. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/article/digital-citizenship-resources#graph3
K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum | Common Sense Media. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2015, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum
Ribble, Mike. Digital Citizenship Using Technology Appropriately. Retrieved 2015. 23 Oct. 2015, from http://www. digitalcitizenship.net/nine_elements.html