Persuasive Blog Post – Assessment 5
Digital citizenship means being a proactive online learner while behaving ethically at all times
Digital citizenship is anyone that extensively uses the internet, by way of computers, tablets, smart phones, and any other digital devices to engage others on a social level. Digital citizens must be confident in the way they use digital platforms and technologies (Education Services Australia, n.d.). They must have an understanding of how to protect themselves and their families against Cyberbullying, they should also have a pretty comprehensive understanding of digital security and must be proactive when it comes to continuing to know what it takes to protect their digital footprint online.
People who use digital technology and have a digital footprint, are exposed to the possibilities of being a part of cyberbullying or Cyber Abuse, either as a recipient or someone that is conducting the cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can be defined as a wilful behaviour by someone online that is trying to frighten or harms others via the use of digital technology, either via abusive texts or emails, hurtful messages, images or video, humiliating others online, excluding others, or imitating others online. Cyber abuse is very similar a cyberbullying however, the target of cyber abuse is more likely to be 
adults. Cyber abuse is likely to take place in online messaging boards and chat rooms, emails, text, online forums and especially on social media (eSafetyCommissioner, n.d.). Types of cyber abuse could include things like encouraging someone to self-harm, posting someone’s personal information on social media, digitally manipulating explicit images of a person online and stalking a person online or hacking into their accounts (eSafetyCommissioner, n.d.). In Australia, 1 in 5 young digital citizens under the age of 18 have reported either being socially excluded, threatened, or abused online, in the 12 months leading up to June 2017, and 1 in 5 young Australian’s have admitted to behaving in negative way towards another young person online (eSafetyCommissioner, n.d.). Digital citizens and parents of Digital citizens need to be proactively educating themselves and their children on the importance of protecting themselves against cyberbullying, understand the laws around cyberbullying and what actions they should take if they or someone they know is being cyberbullied.
Digital citizens that spend any amount of time on the internet will be exposed to not only the good side of online, but will ultimately come across the bad elements as well, as there is a diverse range of human interaction that happens on the world wide web. The internet has changed the way humans proceed with everyday life, such as the use of online banking, shopping, and immediate contact with individuals and businesses either in the local area, interstate, or across the world (ExcalTech, 2019). The internet gives people who have similar interest, thoughts, and beliefs the ability to contact each other across the world without expensive travel costs, and the internet gives people and organisations access to a vast range of resources that they would not normally have had access too. The internet has given people a new way of becoming rich and famous by using a new set of platforms like ‘YouTube’ and ‘Instagram’, to make a name for themselves. For all the good the internet has to offer, there is also a lot of bad and ugly things that come from the internet, such as people trying to steal personal information for profit from online banking and shopping data (ExcalTech, 2019). The use of social media and meeting like-minded people can open you up to internet trolls, stalkers, and bullies. The downright ugly side of the internet can be an extremely dangerous place to be on, these places include the Dark or Deep Webs. These areas have become sinister playgrounds for organised crime and other dodgy criminal behaviour (Palin, 2017). The anonymity that the dark web provides makes it the prime place for illegal activity, such as cyberstalking, hacktivism, terrorism, attacks of critical infrastructure, as well as fraud and identity theft, just to name a few (Ozkaya & Islam, 2019). As smart and responsible digital citizens, it lies in your hands in being proactive in learning ways to protect your information from cybercriminals.
As digital citizens its your responsibility to be proactive in learning how to best protect yourself online. Your digital footprint and reputation could have great long-lasting effects on you for the rest of your life. Having a negative digital footprint like a drunken photo or outspoken social media posts can greatly affect your job opportunities, as most modern employers run background checks on the internet in order to get a better idea of who they are hiring (Carr. n.d.). Once you or someone posts something online it becomes extremely difficult to remove and it can spread like a wildfire out of control. As digital citizens you need to stop and take time to think about what you are posting or sending online, set your profile on social media accounts to private and only allow your friends to have access to your posts and photographs. You need to continually keep an eye on photographs that you have been tagged in and if they appear to be offensive or altered, then you need to get them remove it immediately. To maintain a good digital footprint a digital citizen needs to regularly conduct a digital search for themselves online, which is a simple as typing your name into a search engine and see what comes up. Cleaning up your digital reputation can be difficult, but it is not impossible. You may not be able to erase the past completely, but you can build a better image of yourself online over time by being more aware of what you say and do. As a digital citizen you have a responsibility to behave ethically online and to know how to react when others behave in inappropriate ways. Ultimately you as a Digital Citizen need to behave and act the same way that you would in public.
In conclusion, it is your responsibility as a digital citizen to be proactive in learning how to protect yourself and others around you against the threats of cyberbullying or cyber abuse. You must be aware of how to protect yourself against the bad elements that troll the internet looking to take advantage of people who cannot or do not know how to protect themselves online. If you follow the processes of digital citizenship by protecting your digital footprint, regularly reviewing your digital security and always behaving in an ethical manner as you would in everyday society, then using digital technology should be enjoyable and stress-free.
References
Atkins Global. (2017). Infographic: 8 Ways to protect your digital footprint! https://www.slideshare.net/WSAtkins/8-ways-to-protect-your-digital-footprint-infographic
Brown Brother Harriman. (2018). Infograph: Cynersecurity 101 Infographic. bbh.com. https://www.bbh.com/en-us/insights/cybersecurity-101-infographic-30424
Carr, J., (n.d.). The ultimate guide to managing your digital footprint. Retrieved September 16, 2020 from https://gradaustralia.com.au/career-planning/the-ultimate-guide-to-managing-your-digital-footprint
Education Services Australia. (n.d.). Digital Citizenship. Retrieved September 15, 2020 from
https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/teachers/topics/digital-citizenship
eSafetyCommissioner. (n.d.). Cyberbullying. Retrieved September 16, 2020 from https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/cyberbullying
eSafetyCommissioner. (n.d.). Infographic: How to report cyberbullying material. Tuneinnotout.com https://tuneinnotout.com/factsheets/what-is-cyberbullying/
Excaltech (2019, January 02). The good, bad, and ugly of the internet. ExcalTech.com https://www.excaltech.com/the-good-bad-and-ugly-of-the-internet
Meloney, D., (2014, September 24 ). Inforgraphic: Cyber Bullying in AustraliaTeacher Magazine. Teacher Magazine. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/cyber-bullying-in-australia
Ozkaya, E., & Islam. R. (2019) Inside the Dark Web. Taylor & Francis Group. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/reader.action?docID=5793703
Palin, M., (2017, July 17). What is the dark web?. News.com.au. https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/the-dark-web-a-sinister-playground-for-criminals/news-story/42ff24c5ecee2146393d44985ac10b7c
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