Digital Citizenship

       

Digital Citizenship

The exponential speed of technological development, including the pervasiveness of the Internet and the rise of social media, has created unprecedented opportunities for connectedness amongst individuals and communities. It has also created challenges and changes to the concept of citizenship and how it is enacted (Law, et al., 2018, p. 53). Full participation in society demands proficiency in digital media, specifically the ability to produce, collaborate, share, and critique media using current and emerging technologies (Gleason & von Gillern, 2018, p. 201). Martin, et al. (2019) note that being a digital citizen requires more than just digital literacy and skill (p. 239).

What is Digital Citizenship?

Early constructs of Digital Citizenship were primarily concerned with bridging the digital divide: issues of access, inclusion and communicative rights were a priority (Pangrazio & Sefton-Green, 2021, p. 18). Contemporary interpretations invoke digital citizenship as a multidimensional concept that encompasses the responsible digital application of the accepted cultural norms, including knowledge, attitude and behaviours (Martin, et al., 2019, p. 239). More than simply a set of rules for online behaviours and technology usage, digital citizenship embraces the complex socio-cultural perspectives and relationships of ethics, democracy, community, education, morals and civic identity (Buchholz, et al., 2020, p. 12; Pedersen, et al., 2018, p. 226; Curran & Ribble, 2017, p. 36).

The normative perspective suggests that digital citizenship represents “the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use” (Ribble, 2017), where citizens understand the “rights and responsibilities” of being a digital citizen, which includes acting “in ways that are safe, legal, and ethical” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2016; Gleason & von Gillern, 2018, p. 201). Martin, et al. (2019) highlight that Digital Citizenship extends beyond duty or responsibility and must additionally focus on establishing self-identity, belief, protection, and healthy digital use (p. 239).

Alternative definitions of Digital Citizenship

The following set of slides provides a comprehensive list of different definitions of Digital Citizenship:

presentation digital literacy by BELINDA PAPAS