Digital Citizenship, as the name implies, speaks to the digital equivalent of social etiquette, the behaviors displayed by an individual, and how they represent themselves in the various communities they affiliate with online. With virtual interaction growing exponentially as access to the internet becomes easier and easier, a wider variety of platforms through which users interact becomes available, and various circumstances which prompt social exchange to happen online rather than in person, digital citizenship is becoming an increasingly relevant topic of awareness and discussion. Directly witnessing the impacts and nuances of digital citizenship is as simple as looking at the current political climate in the United States, where one of the worlds most prominent countries is divided in belief of the integrity of their own election; despite no factual basis for believing so. This misinformation is wildly propagated by the digital world, and is seen everywhere from organizations threatening national security owning public domains, to the president himself lying to the public (more than 20,000 times in fact) through Twitter and other social media platforms (Kessler et al. 2020). More locally, the Canadian response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been wildly influenced by alternative thinking individuals claiming the safety measures are a means by which to turn Canada in to a dictatorship; demonizing medical science and conflating a political agenda to basic human decency (Linden, 2020).
The socio-cultural ramifications of adhering to responsible digital citizenship go far beyond losing or gaining a few followers, and it is paramount that students (and educators) understand that. There are so many layers involved that I personally could see it becoming its own portion of the BC curriculum in the near future. It is easy to grasp how an individual subscribing to false narratives and propagating them to others is problematic, but the potential consequences go so far beyond that. The algorithms involved in scripting social media platforms have been drafted and reworked to the point that they are currently one of the worlds leading forms of artificial intelligence. That means that, at the end of the day, watching a video to the end be it on snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, etc.; Retweeting, sharing, or commenting on anything online: all of these actions contribute to the overall popularity of the item and its posting user. The old adage, “any press is good press” resonates into the realm of the digital, because whether you react negatively to the content or not, the algorithms interpret it as a view when calculating the frequency by which it is redistributed. Realistically, when it comes to being an active bystander in the digital world, it is not enough to react negatively to the content or the user; because that will not impact it’s popularity on a mathematical scale (Cooper, 2020). Certainly, there is room for discussion related to the content, but typically these spaces are so emotionally charged that any constructive criticism is lost in the crossfire.
So, how do we as educators and as learners ourselves, prepare for the ever growing relevance of digital citizenship in our daily lives? I believe the answer can be found in a holistic presentation of digital literacy, developing a toolset for adequate to advanced online usage, and a strong focus on social justice in all of its manifestations every chance we get within the learning environment. People need to recognize that they too have the right to an online presence, that their voice can be heard, and that they can contribute to the counter-narrative against the wildly destructive misinformation spreading online. I fully intend to do my part as a classroom teacher to make resources available for students interested in learning how to create a stronger digital presence, will do my best to keep my own understanding of online workings up to date, and will continue to pursue my passion for instruction through a truthful, and humanity focused lens.
Thank you.
Paige Cooper. (2020, August 18). How Does the YouTube Algorithm Work? A Guide to Getting More Views. Hootsuite Social Media Management. https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-the-youtube-algorithm-works/
Kessler, G., Rizzo, S., & Kelly, M. (2020, July 13). Analysis | President Trump has made more than 20,000 false or misleading claims. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/07/13/president-trump-has-made-more-than-20000-false-or-misleading-claims/
Linden, C. van der. (2020, August 12). Canada is not immune to the politics of coronavirus masks. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/canada-is-not-immune-to-the-politics-of-coronavirus-masks-144110