THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP 1

The Importance of Digital Citizenship

Kyle Wilkerson

Lamar University
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The Importance of Digital Citizenship

Introduction

Technology has become a regular feature in education. The reliance on instantaneous

information and communication creates a whole new set of issues for students all over the world.

Most schools begin educating by teaching fundamental lessons on what it is to be a good person

or citizen to give basic context for how society functions. Education has reached an impasse

where teaching face-to-face behaviors and etiquette is not enough. Digital citizenship is the other

half of the puzzle in preparing students for success in the future.

The heavily reliance on technology overall has created an interesting dynamic in the

modern student’s life. They previously had two separate parts of their lives, one being school and

the other being online escapades (Ohler, 2012). Educators are now tasked with the merging of

these two worlds as working online becomes a mainstream feature in their classrooms.

Communication, finding legitimate sources, and giving credit to original authors are all major

facets of working in an online setting that all students are required to do. Digital citizenship

concepts are sprinkled in curriculums throughout various years in mostly computer related

courses, but fail in reaching a deeper understanding for students due to the fact they aren’t

addressed often enough. The lack of consistency most schools have in teaching digital

citizenship causes major gaps in how students perceive their actions in any online setting.

Understanding Digital Citizenship

Mike Ribble (2015) defines digital citizenship as “the norms of appropriate, responsible

behavior with regard to technology use.” Digital citizenship reflects the same values as regular
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citizenship, but applies them specifically to the digital world. The first step is processing what it

means to be a good citizen in general before progressing to the digital level. A fundamental

aspect in being a solid citizen in either world relies on strong understanding of a moral compass

and repercussions for your actions. Digital citizenship teaches students how others may perceive

information shared when they might not realize the negative impact it may have on others. The

recognition might be as simple as the word selection in a post that can change the way another

person may distinguish what message is being addressed. Digital citizenship gives students a

sense of moral obligation that they would otherwise lack before posting or commenting.

Ribble (2015) breaks digital citizenship nine different elements into three separate

categories: respect, education, and protection. The way the elements are classified by category is

conducive for educators in implementing them throughout curriculums. Respect includes digital

access, digital etiquette, and digital law. Education consists of digital literacy, digital

communication, and digital commerce. Protection is made up of digital rights and

responsibilities, digital security, and digital health and awareness. The combination of grasping

these concepts provides complete awareness for social actions and public perceptions that may

remain permanently online.

The two digital citizenship elements most relevant to high school education are digital

etiquette and digital rights and responsibility. High school students are now very experienced

with technology and being online, but lack the knowledge about the impact their choices can

make. Digital etiquette goes hand in hand with other lessons the students are learning in class.

The way they treat people both in real life and digitally is one of the core values educators can

help cultivate for their students. Digital rights and responsibility are closely related to etiquette.

Students must learn how to become facilitators and agents of change when they are given special
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opportunities like working in online settings. The importance lies in making them see the value

in understanding each other and how the world around them works. The digital world is

seemingly infinite and everyone can have an impact on anyone. A major focus in education

moving forward is preparing the students by educating them on how to do this in a positive or

negative way.

Digital Footprint

A person’s digital footprint is evidence or work left behind when you are active online.

Most people understand the concept of their intentional footprint because it is common to post

updates, statuses, or bodies of work they are looking to display online. Unintentional footprints

can be harder to recognize without proper comprehension. The majority of people have phones

capable of taking pictures and videos at any given time. Anyone can find themselves caught in an

embarrassing moment captured in a video a friend has tagged and posted on social media. People

who are active on social media need to understand their posts and the media of their

followers/friends may have lasting repercussions.

Education must communicate to students that they can create a positive digital

footprint by carefully constructing things they want others to see. Social media is more prevalent

than ever, but it is seen as a personal tool for most people rather than historical records. Students

have complete control in forming their digital footprint by creating an e-portfolio (or website)

designed for showing off work or accomplishments that have done. More and more colleges are

asking for evidence of development over the course of high school. An e-portfolio gives a

student the chance to carefully select experiences and projects they found the most impactful.

Genuine blogging and/or journaling can give schools and future employers a deeper look into the
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psyche of the student or employee applying. The importance of controlling the narrative is

extremely relevant in the world today. The process in deciding what to share needs to be based

on what feels comfortable and logical. A person’s reputation in life is easier to fix because

everything they do is not recorded all the time. In the digital realm, every email, post, or

comment is out there for others to see forever.

Cyberbullying

The social media craze has kick-started a whole new set of social issues. Cyberbullying

has become one of the biggest and widespread issues society must face. Victims are unable to

escape their bullies and often do not know who the people are that are causing them so much

pain. Anonymity and the myriad of options for communicating online combine for a harsh

environment. Without digital etiquette, users can fall victim to crippling harassment and

emotional abuse. Students require familiarity with consequences for cyberbullying to prevent

widespread problems. Digital rights and responsibility can also reinforce having a positive

impact when interacting with others online.

The awareness created by digital citizenship can assist students that may suffer from

cyberbullying. Many students don’t know how to deal with being harassed and mentally

punished. The subject of cyberbullying is widely recognized as a serious problem amongst

adolescents yet only 50% of young adults think what they post will come back to haunt them

(Siegle, 2010). Young learners get in the habit of feeling untouchable because they get away with

treating people however they want online by remaining unknown. Teachers informing their

students of legal repercussions for cyberbullying cases can deter more negative and hurtful

interactions.
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Project Reflection

I chose to complete my video project in Adobe Spark. I feel most comfortable with using

the program because I have created about a dozen different presentations for various reasons.

The combination of images, transitions, text formatting, and video clips makes me feel like it is a

complete presentation tool. My main audience for the video is teachers and administrators

because they are the ones that need to understand the importance of including digital citizenship

instruction regularly throughout high school. I think informing influential people on campus can

create an urgency for educating our students on ethical behavior in an online setting.

The biggest challenge I faced during my creation process was finding the appropriate

timing and text that best displayed the information I wanted to express. I felt like I had a hard

time finding the timing that made the video interesting and informative without feeling like it

was dragging on. Any presentation process is a bit tedious when you are attempting to motivate

your audience. I also felt like narrowing down a mantra was tough. Ten or less words for a

philosophy as comprehensive as digital citizenship seemed like it was going to miss the mark. I

ended up trying to put the focus on being cognizant of others while being a positive presence.

Overall, I feel like this was a project that will help me establish digital citizenship awareness at

my school.

Conclusion

The evolutionary state education currently stands in demands consistent teachings in

digital citizenship. If the intention of education is preparing students for the future, it is

imperative the elements and nuances of digital citizenship are consistently addressed from an

early developmental stage and beyond. The digital age has existed for long enough without
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proper instruction on how to act within an online setting. Society’s reliance on technology

requires a substantial digital citizenship presence in education to guarantee civility and ethical

actions online.
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References

Ohler, J. (2012). Digital citizenship means character education for the digital age. Education

Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 77(8), 14-17.

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools (3rd ed.). Eugene, OR: International Society of

Technology in Education.

Siegle, D.(2010). Cyberbullying and sexting: Technology abuses of the 21st century. Gifted

Child Today, 32(2), 14-16, 65.