In a world where technology has fast become an inherent part of the everyday for everyone, it’s easy to overlook the lasting dangers of having a digital footprint. As online scams and internet crimes reach record highs, it forces an urgent conversation around digital citizenship.
In honor of Digital Citizenship Week — a week dedicated to understanding the importance of cultivating online safety etiquette for educators and families — this article will cover the following topics:
- What is digital citizenship?
- 5 key pillars of digital citizenship
- Challenges and risks to keep in mind
- Effective ways to promote digital citizenship
What is digital citizenship?
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Digital citizenship is the practice of fostering safe and ethical engagement with technology. Like you'd find in any classroom, home, or professional environment, there is an etiquette required in order to maintain safety, security, and productive use of the digital space.
As one of the most rapid-growing evolutionary tools in society, technology holds monumental benefits, providing:
- Increased productivity and efficiency
- Global opportunities for community and connection
- Instant and accessible information
- More job opportunities
- Learner engagement
- Professional engagement
- Consumer engagement
However, there are also significant negative qualities to technology, such as increased potential for:
- Cyberbullying and harassment
- Misinformation and disinformation
- Privacy invasion and data tracking
- Algorithms and digital divide
- And more
Given that 73% U.S. adults alone have experienced some form of cyberattack or online scam, the need for cultivating strong digital citizenship skills has never been greater. As technology continues escalating into AI-level sophistication, the need for increased awareness — for younger generations, especially — holds an unmatched urgency.
5 key pillars of digital citizenship and skills to cultivate
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The good news in all of this? Digital citizenship and cultivating online safety etiquette is quite intuitive. Plus, online users get to be active participants in fostering safe digital environments every time they’re online. Here are some of the key components to know and ways to practice them.
1. Online safety and privacy
Sometimes, cultivating online safety etiquette means knowing what isn’t safe. For example, you would never want to:
- Provide social security information or sensitive data
- Click on sketchy links or attachments from unknown email senders
- Install unknown software or files
- Buy products online from sites with excessive pop-ups, spelling errors, or unsecure transaction protocols
In addition to avoiding these things, maintaining online safety and privacy also means being proactive. Consider:
- Keeping devices updated regularly
- Delete old profiles and accounts
- Don’t save personal data or information to accounts (instead, keep them written down somewhere safe)
- Always create secure passwords (and don’t use the same password everywhere)
Online safety etiquette isn’t a one-and-done experience, but a long-term practice. Learning to identify phishing and scams is an ongoing and critical skill.
2. Digital etiquette and respect
So, what does digital etiquette look like? Unfortunately, due to the ways technology has been normalized in society, many forget that humans reside on the other side of the screen. For that reason, it’s critical to remain respectful and uphold appropriate digital etiquette. This means:
- Know your audience
- Respect others’ opinions and privacy
- Don’t share personal information or anyone else’s information
- Report cyberbullying
- Use appropriate language and courtesy as if you were in person
- Be inclusive of others in the forum or environment
- Respond in an appropriate time-frame to foster healthy engagement
- Be intentional and communicate clearly as things can get lost in translation online
Similar to healthy communication skills being a long-term relational practice, the same goes for skill development online. As you contribute to healthy standards and processes for online safety and etiquette, it creates a ripple effect for others to do the same.
3. Media literacy and verifying information
Media literacy is a key pillar to digital citizenship because it requires critical analysis of sources. Discernment helps learners analyze content for validity, accuracy, and value.
Learning to think critically about sources is an effective way to identify bias, propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation. If you’re not sure whether a source is valid or not, learning how to verify information is another critical skill to have.
Cross-referencing facts, assessing a source’s reputation, and looking for clues that would disprove validity are all part of building strong media literacy skills.
4. Digital footprint and identity
Digital footprint and digital identity are closely related with one main difference. A digital footprint suggests the trail of information that exists online to form the digital identity. A digital footprint includes what you do online, like: where you browse, what you post, and how you navigate the web. A digital identity is more concrete, such as developing a profile with information about your personality.
Even in spaces where it’s welcome, consider how much information and what type you’re including online. It’s hard to fully grasp the invisible impact of having your information out there until it’s compromised, so work to stay mindful.
5. Rights, responsibilities, and ethics
Similar to obtaining citizenship in a country, digital citizenship means you also have protected rights. Some of these include: equal access to opportunity, the right to privacy and security, and freedom of expression. As a digital citizen, it’s also everyone’s responsibility to honor online conduct laws such as copyright and protection of intellectual property.
Did you know? WeVideo's Assignment Ideas Library offers hundreds of standards-aligned assignments, several of which can be used to develop students digital citizenship skills.
Challenges and risks to keep in mind
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Safety should remain the top priority any time you’re online. What does this mean? Keep an eye out for these following things:
1. Misinformation, deepfakes, disinformation
Though AI-generated tools have incredible value in educational and creative environments, shadow side can be alarming. AI can also be an integral part of misinformation (inaccurate information) or disinformation (the purposeful spreading of misinformation).
Part of understanding misinformation is also realizing the impact that algorithms have on human disconnection. Everyone is experiencing a different (essentially curated) reality online, so it’s that much more important to be respectful of everyone’s views and opinions and remember that this curation informs perspectives.
Deepfake videos and AI-generated images are a byproduct of such advanced technology and how accessible it has become, further reinforcing the importance of nurturing smart digital citizenship.
2. Cyberbullying and harassment
Not having a digital identity has its appeal, but there is also danger in having an anonymous digital presence. Posting anonymously can further propel hostility, lack of safety, and possibility for cyberbullying and harassment. One of the positive impacts of having a digital identity is remaining honest and transparent about who you are — versus what’s become a modern-day phenomenon — called, “catfishing.”
3. Privacy invasions, data tracking, and surveillance
It can feel tricky at times to remain informed and empowered when it’s become common knowledge that most things are tracked online. Since everything is public, it does beg a question around how to maintain a sense of privacy.
That said, remember your rights to privacy and that you get to control what information you share online. If you have concerns about data tracking, you can always opt out of unnecessary cookies, deny receiving particular targeted ads online, and protect location tracking on all of your devices.
Effective ways to promote digital citizenship
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One of the ways to foster empowered learners is to integrate digital citizenship principles in the classroom! Here are five ways to do that.
1. Curriculum integration
Create interactive digital citizenship videos, have students work in pairs or groups, or facilitate discussions around digital citizenship skills. WeVideo’s Assignment Ideas Library also includes engaging activities on this topic to save you time spent lesson planning.
2. Model safe online behavior
AI tools, video creation, interactive video, and multimedia are game-changing assets for learning. That said, as educators incorporate new creative tools in class, it’s crucial to model safe online behavior as well. Establishing appropriate use and do’s and dont’s is imperative.
3. Create agreements and norms
Part of safe digital citizenship means knowing appropriate boundaries. What do students need to know about online safety etiquette? Encourage consistent group discussions and be sure to create agreements that students can return to often within the curriculum.
4. Educate with interactive games and activities
Learning can and should be fun, too, even when it comes to serious topics. Not sure the best way to incorporate this discussion? Foster digital citizenship skills with interactive games, virtual and gamified reality, GIFs, podcasts, branched learning, and more.
5. Discuss and reflect
Give learners the floor! Encourage questions, ask questions, create videos with interactions, and allow space for reflective pauses. All of that is possible with WeVideo — and more! Ensure safety every step of the way for optimal learning.
Use technology for good
As technology continues to evolve, our relationship to it has to as well. Continue practicing strong digital citizenship hygiene by choosing to stay informed, posting consciously, and using technology with positive intent. Advancement can be incredible for creative purposes, innovative learning strategies, and potential for increased human connection.
In order to continue that trajectory, everyone has a role to play. So next time you’re online, consider your digital footprint, digital citizenship, and how you might contribute more positively to the collective with every click.