Why Is Digital Citizenship So Important
Theme I: Reflective Introspection
by Michael X. Yue
July 03, 2020
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An Inquiry into The digital world
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What a time to be alive! We have everything at the tips of our fingertips (in developed countries) ; want to know about quantum mechanics? What's happening around the world? how to make shortbread biscuits? Or how to stop your hiccups? The internet has the information and answers to your personal inquiries, at the convenience of your electronic devic. If you are reading this blog right now , you are probably (you definitely are - don't lie) using an electronic device that is reading this blog from the internet right now! In the 21st century, we are connected to the digital world more than we ever had! Welcome to the digital world!
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DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Digital citizenship is a combinatory term that is based on two ideas: digital and citizen(ship). Based on Ribble (2011), digital citizenship can be generally defined as the norms of appropriate, responsible behaviour with regards to use of technology. As a digital citizen, it is important to understand, reflect, and practice good digital citizenship.
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Figure 1. Reflective digital literacy images (png - left; gif - right) from Blogspot and Gyfcat, respectively
Ribble (2017) describes and compartmentalizes the attributes of digital citizens with 9 essential elements which includes digital access, digital commerce, digital communication, digital literacy, digital etiquette, digital law, digital rights and responsibilities, digital health and wellness, and lastly digital security.
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Figure 2. An digital infographic poster from Fracus Learning to summarize the 9 essential elements of digital citizenship.
INTERNET & WALT DISNEY
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In 2016, I watched a movie that resonated with me a lot - that movie was called Wreck-It Ralph. This 2012 movie by Walk Disney Productions portrayed the complex, intricate interconnectivity of the world wide web (www) through the story of two digital characters from an arcade video game. This fictional story highlights many non-fictional aspects of the digital citizenship, through animation-based metaphors. If you are interested in watching this movie, I have linked an introductory trailer of this movie from Youtube below:
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DIGITAL RELEVANCY
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I believe that digital citizenship is an important competency that all citizens should be embracing and practicing. In the recent decades, the accessibility of digital technology have been progressively more convenient and embraced by all age and sex demographics, including digital immigrants (Figure 3.).
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Figure 3. A digital infographic poster to compare to concepts: Digitals Immigrants and Digital Natives from Unicheck.
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As a digital native (born in 1995), I grew up with digital technology - as young as I could remember. In my early childhood, I remember watching television (T.V,), playing on my Game Boy, listening to the radio. Fast forward two decades, the realm of the digital world has advanced exponentially. We have virtual reality (VR), self-driving cars, foldable smartphones, biotechnological medicine, and so much more, established and to be public. We must ask are selves, what will the world look like in another 20 years?
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REFERENCES
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Ribble, M. (2011). Digital citizenship in schools PB - ISTE & Eurospan. (C. Girvan, H. Sara, M. Manolis, P. Sara, & W. Niall, Eds.) British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(6), 166. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01378_9.x
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Ribble, M. (2017). Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship. (Go Daddy Custom Design Group) Retrieved July 03, 2020, from Digital Citizenship: http://digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html
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