Responsible use of technology and digital tools is often referred to as digital citizenship (GoGuardian, 2023).  Anyone who interacts with various forms of technology has rights and protections much like a community member within a city.  A digital citizen has expectations of how to properly use and community when using these tools. GoGuardian (2020) writes about these expectations in an article concerning digital citizenship.  They discuss topics such as sharing misleading information, the need for carefully valid sources, and how to avoid cyberbullying. At any age, they encourage users to conduct themselves in a helpful and positive manner.  

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) provides standards that teachers can use as guidance when dealing with technology and its integration (ISTE, 2023).  Regarding digital citizenship, they urge educators to create a learning environment that encourages curiosity yet analyzes online resources and fosters the building of skills such as digital literacy and media fluency (ISTE, 2023).  

Society needs people who understand how to responsibly use technology and schools are a vital part of educating young adults and children with the skills they need to do so (GoGuardian, 2023).  They grow up knowing how to prevent cyberbullying and remain safe as they navigate the internet.  Teaching digital citizenship in schools is a key factor in inspiring the next generation to not only avoid possible dangers but thrive and succeed in a digital world.

References

GoGuardian. (2023). Everything You Need to Know About Digital Citizenship. GoGuardian. https://www.goguardian.com/glossary/digital-citizenship

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2023). ISTE Standards: For Educators. International Society for Technology in Education. https://iste.org/standards/educators

Digital rights can be defined as the protection of common human rights like security, privacy, and access in digital spaces, however, the terminology encompassing the realm of “digital” is significantly different (Azali, 2020).  These rights embrace standard freedoms that grant people safe access to digital content with undeserved prejudice (UNESCO, 2019).  As digital platforms influence large portions of social participation, debates regarding digital rights protection have increased in the past several years, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2019).  Sadly, these rights are habitually violated, violations like privacy infringement, free speech censorship, and mass audio/video recordings, for example (Bellasio et al., 2021).

Organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (2021) advocate digital rights for online users and encourage them to maintain basic human rights as new technologies are constantly emerging.  Emphasizing rights such as strong data privacy, online safety for children, and accountability, the Electronic Frontier Foundation aims to educate the public with information to keep users protected as they engage with online platforms (Cope et al., 2023).

It becomes a challenge for software creators, website developers, and policymakers to calculate the human rights aspect against user security and economic progression (Srivastava, 2023).  The discussion must occur that still allows innovation and advancements to occur while limiting the intrusion of rights. Digital rights improvement needs to be the result of careful dialogues between all parties that create technological environments that endorse human rights while still being effective in society.

References

Azali, K. (2020). Coconet: What are digital rights? Engage Media. https://www.apc.org/en/news/coconet-what-are-digital-rights

Bellasio, J., Slapakova, L., Quimbre, F., Stockwell, S., & Silfversten, E. (2021). Human Rights in a Digital Age. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA1100/RRA1152-1/RAND_RRA1152-1.pdf

Cope, S., Mackey, A., & Kelley, J. (2023). Protecting Kids on Social Media Act: Amended and still problematic. Electronic Frontier Foundation. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/11/protecting-kids-social-media-act-amended-and-still-problematic

Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2023). Electronic Frontier Foundation. https://www.eff.org

Srivastava, D. (2023). Balancing innovation and regulation: The role of technology policy in the digital age. Linkedin.com. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/balancing-innovation-regulation-role-technology-age-srivastava/?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_more-articles_related-content-card

UNESCO. (2023). Bridging the Digital Divide and Ensuring Online Protection. UNESCO. https://tinyurl.com/ycbdyezc

As social media and digital technology integration continue to surge, teaching media fluency is crucial to prepare students to succeed in this new and evolving learning environment. The Internet and social media provide students access to immense amounts of information, however, not all the available resources are reliable or even valid. Students must be taught the skills they need to navigate today’s multimedia (Kahne & Bowyer, 2022). 

Educators teaching media fluency education help students develop critical thinking skills to recognize basic messages and misinformation. This protects them against media influencing their behaviors unknowingly.  Media fluency leads to more mindful usage that allows students to filter information in a way that positively guides their viewpoints (Literat & Kligler-Vilenchik, 2021).  As new technologies emerge yearly, teachers must evolve their lesson plans to keep current and help students evaluate digital resources online, including social media (Vraga & Tully, 2020).

Educators play a vital role in promoting media fluency and good digital citizenship with students. This requires integrating media fluency across the curriculum and is not reserved for a single computer class or digital media course.  Educators need to create interactive learning activities that allow students opportunities to make decisions about the variety of multimedia they are bombarded with daily (Breakstone et al., 2021).  When students have achieved the skills to appropriately choose what and how media information affects them, teachers have fulfilled an ethical obligation of media fluency in preparing students for active engagement in a digital world.

References

Breakstone, J., Smith, M., Wineburg, S., Rapaport, A., Carle, J., Garland, M., & Saavedra, A. (2021). Students’ civic online reasoning: A national portrait. Educational Researcher (Washington, D.C.: 1972), 50(8), 505–515. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189×211017495

Kahne, J., & Bowyer, B. (2019). Can media literacy education increase digital engagement in politics? Learning, Media and Technology, 44(2), 211–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2019.1601108

Literat, I., & Kligler-Vilenchik, N. (2019). Youth collective political expression on social media: The role of affordances and memetic dimensions for voicing political views. New Media & Society, 21(9), 1988–2009. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819837571

Mihailidis, P. (2018). Civic media literacies: Re-imagining human connection in an age of digital abundance. Routledge.

Vraga, E. K., & Tully, M. (2021). News literacy, social media behaviors, and skepticism toward information on social media. Information, Communication and Society, 24(2), 150–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2019.1637445