Interacting with technology in a global society
A video introduction to digital citizenship.
Digital citizenship for "digital natives"
This website was created to provide you, as a first-year college student, with an understanding of what it means to be a good digital citizen. The overwhelming majority of you are "digital natives" -- you have likely been online all your life and probably don't remember a time when there wasn't an Internet. When was the last time you looked something up in a book instead of Googling it? How long has it been since you've bought music on an actual CD instead of downloading it? If you can't remember, you're probably a digital native.
As digital natives, you are tech-savvy. However, now that you're no longer in high school, you have an even greater responsibility to use technology appropriately as adult students. It's equally important for you to know what your rights are for technology access and to know what your college and society should provide to you. Not being aware of your rights and responsibilities could have a negative impact on your college experience. Hopefully, this website will provide you with the necessary knowledge about your technology rights and how to engage with technology safely and ethically.
As digital natives, you are tech-savvy. However, now that you're no longer in high school, you have an even greater responsibility to use technology appropriately as adult students. It's equally important for you to know what your rights are for technology access and to know what your college and society should provide to you. Not being aware of your rights and responsibilities could have a negative impact on your college experience. Hopefully, this website will provide you with the necessary knowledge about your technology rights and how to engage with technology safely and ethically.
What is digital citizenship? Why is it important?
Even if you aren’t familiar with what good digital citizenship is, you have undoubtedly heard about cases of bad digital citizenship. In fact, it seems as if each new day brings a news story about someone using the Internet for the wrong reasons.
For example, think about how many news stories you've seen on cyberbullying in the past few years. Unfortunately, cyberbullying -- when a child or teenager is insulted or threatened online or via text message -- has become a widespread phenomenon among digital communities, especially now that children are beginning to use the Internet and other interactive technologies at younger and younger ages. See Digital Etiquette on this site for more on cyberbullying, harassment, and other issues relating to responsible conduct with technology.
Another digital citizenship issue we see regularly in the news involves “cyber piracy,” which is when films, music, software, or other media are copied and distributed without the owners’ knowledge and permission. The increase in Internet connectivity speeds and the proliferation of file-sharing applications like BitTorrent have increased copyright infringement cases exponentially. The economic cost of this crime is staggering: According to Brad Plumer of The Washington Post, the American film industry loses about $446 million per year due to media piracy. The costs may be even higher; the Motion Picture Industry of America claims a cost of $20.5 billion per year (Plumer, 2012). Whichever figure you choose to believe, it’s clear that media piracy and copyright infringement are costing dearly.
The Internet has also increased the incidence of a crime similar to copyright infringement: plagiarism. The ability to cut and paste text directly from the Internet into a document has made plagiarism – presenting someone else’s words or ideas as your own – much more common. While most of us think of plagiarism as something that applies only to students, it can also have a lasting effect on the careers of journalists, novelists, musicians, artists, and anyone else who creates original media. After reviewing Digital Rights & Responsibilities, you should have a good understanding of copyright laws, plagiarism, and the ethical standards all technology users should have.
While the issues above focus on the “don’ts” of digital citizenship, there is an equally important, if less discussed, “do”: Good digital citizenship means we ensure that all students, universally, have equal technological access and the necessary special accommodations – especially children from traditionally disenfranchised groups. It is everyone’s responsibility to see that all children have equitable access to the digital tools and communication media that will improve both their quality of life and their marketability when entering the workforce. In Digital Access, we will look at the issues of equality and accommodation to see how these ideals can be promoted in our communities.
This should give you a good idea of what we mean when we talk about digital citizenship. Essentially, it's a term to describe ways in which we can engage safely and responsibly with technology and other technology users, how we can improve access to technology for everyone, and minimize practices that are unsafe or destructive. While digital citizenship involves many different issues, each, and perhaps even all, of these issues will have an impact on your life in some way if you use digital technology. Now that the major elements of this concept have been outlined, I hope you enjoy learning about it in more detail!
For example, think about how many news stories you've seen on cyberbullying in the past few years. Unfortunately, cyberbullying -- when a child or teenager is insulted or threatened online or via text message -- has become a widespread phenomenon among digital communities, especially now that children are beginning to use the Internet and other interactive technologies at younger and younger ages. See Digital Etiquette on this site for more on cyberbullying, harassment, and other issues relating to responsible conduct with technology.
Another digital citizenship issue we see regularly in the news involves “cyber piracy,” which is when films, music, software, or other media are copied and distributed without the owners’ knowledge and permission. The increase in Internet connectivity speeds and the proliferation of file-sharing applications like BitTorrent have increased copyright infringement cases exponentially. The economic cost of this crime is staggering: According to Brad Plumer of The Washington Post, the American film industry loses about $446 million per year due to media piracy. The costs may be even higher; the Motion Picture Industry of America claims a cost of $20.5 billion per year (Plumer, 2012). Whichever figure you choose to believe, it’s clear that media piracy and copyright infringement are costing dearly.
The Internet has also increased the incidence of a crime similar to copyright infringement: plagiarism. The ability to cut and paste text directly from the Internet into a document has made plagiarism – presenting someone else’s words or ideas as your own – much more common. While most of us think of plagiarism as something that applies only to students, it can also have a lasting effect on the careers of journalists, novelists, musicians, artists, and anyone else who creates original media. After reviewing Digital Rights & Responsibilities, you should have a good understanding of copyright laws, plagiarism, and the ethical standards all technology users should have.
While the issues above focus on the “don’ts” of digital citizenship, there is an equally important, if less discussed, “do”: Good digital citizenship means we ensure that all students, universally, have equal technological access and the necessary special accommodations – especially children from traditionally disenfranchised groups. It is everyone’s responsibility to see that all children have equitable access to the digital tools and communication media that will improve both their quality of life and their marketability when entering the workforce. In Digital Access, we will look at the issues of equality and accommodation to see how these ideals can be promoted in our communities.
This should give you a good idea of what we mean when we talk about digital citizenship. Essentially, it's a term to describe ways in which we can engage safely and responsibly with technology and other technology users, how we can improve access to technology for everyone, and minimize practices that are unsafe or destructive. While digital citizenship involves many different issues, each, and perhaps even all, of these issues will have an impact on your life in some way if you use digital technology. Now that the major elements of this concept have been outlined, I hope you enjoy learning about it in more detail!
Digital Citizenship Tanner by Erin Tanner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.