Question 1.1
Mike Ribble is an American educator, scholar and author. After
having been in both the public and private education fields he commenced
studies related to how young children have more access to technology and that
this access does not begin in school. In an effort to contribute positively to
the widespread access to technology, he introduced the 9 elements of digital citizenship,
following a 3 year dissertation study (digitalcitizenship.net). Below are the 9 elements as envisaged by
Ribble and a brief description of each element:
1.
Digital Access :
This refers to the desire for universal access to digital technology. In much
the same way as there is a worldwide movement to have universal access to
education and healthcare, Ribble believes that there should equally be
universal access to technology. However, presently this is not possible due to
differences in society and income disparity among different sections of
society. In such a scenario, Ribble encourages bridging the gap by making technology
available in places like schools and libraries.
2.
Digital Commerce :
The last decade has seen a boom in the growth of online shopping and other
digital-based businesses. One need only mention the rise of Huawei, a Chinese technology
giant, which is dominating in world economics. Other examples are Jack Ma’s
Tencent and George Bezos’ Amazon. Both men are counted among the top 10 richest
people in the world and their companies are among the biggest. All of this
points to the fact that digital based business is on the rise.
3.
Digital Communication and Collaboration : whereas in the past
communication depended on face to face conversation, telegraphs, letters and latterly
–on phone calls, the picture has changed markedly over the last 2 decades. The advent
of smartphones has increased the speed and volume of communication. Some of the
most popular methods of communication nowadays are emails, texting, skyping and
other instant messaging services. These provide the ability to have instant
communication with people that are in different parts of the world. The danger
with these though, is that they are impinging on face to face communication. Often
times one can see a family having dinner together but not speaking to one
another, with everyone on the table communicating with someone else through
their smart devices.
4.
Digital Etiquette : This refers to the rules of engagement when using
digital media. The anonymity afforded by digital platforms often-times results
in people developing multiple digital personalities. This is also the root
cause of most ills that are to do with digital platforms. The golden rule is “never say online what you
would not say in person”. Another -equally important - aspect of etiquette
relates to showing respect to those that are around us. This includes not using
our devices when we have company, unless it is for very important and urgent
reasons.
5.
Digital Fluency and Literacy : Digital fluency refers to being able
to use technology ‘fluently’. It speaks to the necessity to train and teach
kids from a young age in order to enable them to have a good working knowledge
of technology. Digital literacy refers to being knowledgeable enough to discern
good information sources from bad sources, as well as credible information from
falsified information. This is becoming increasingly important in the age of
partisan media and fake news.
6.
Digital Health and Welfare : sitting in front of a computer or
smartphone screen the whole day comes with some negative emotional, psychological
and physical effects. The technology boom seems to have also coincided with a
growth in childhood obesity, due to lack of physical exercise. Also this can result in eyes being strained
and needing medical assistance. In other sections of society, there has been a
noticeable withdrawal from participating in the family, especially by
teenagers. This has been exacerbated by social media which allows one to have
access to other people at the click of a button, while refusing to part-take in
one’s family.
7.
Digital Law :
Policing the digital space is something that is difficult to do. For instance,
there are laws that protect minors against exploitation, but there are many
websites that trade in child pornography. Similarly, although ‘normal’ media
abides by certain legal rules, such as not naming an accused person before they
appear in court, digital media often breaks these laws. In reality, the greater
need is for policing of existing laws rather than coming up with new ones. Even
big companies have such as Google and Facebook have fallen fowl of privacy laws
and have been accused of sharing information with the USA government as well as
other companies without obtaining consent. In 2016 a British company – Cambridge
Analytica – was accused and pleaded guilty to using data mining to influence
the presidential elections in America. Some
political commentators have blamed western forces using social media for the
so-called ‘Arab Spring” which resulted in some Middle Eastern governments being
toppled. The implications of countries and governments using data and data
mining to influence things in other countries and launch intelligence attacks
using technology are very dire. Analysts have even accused Donald Trump of
using the ‘tarrif war’ with China as a cover for destroying Huawei which is due
to be a world leader in 5G network. This is seen as a game-changer that will
see America lagging behind China, should Huawei obtain the technology before American
companies.
8.
Digital Rights and Responsibility : As with any facet of life,
with rights come responsibilities. Digital
rights such as the right to access and use digital platforms come with a
responsibility to use such access for the benefit of society, not to the
detriment of society. However, with most platforms affording anonymity and with
the use of proxy servers able to disguise the origin of online communication,
it is often the case that the worst parts of our characters are left for online
engagements. With education from a young age though, there is hope that well
educated digital citizens will use these rights much more responsibly.
9.
Digital Privacy and Security :
This has to do with taking precaution to protect one’s systems from
digital attacks including worms, viruses and other malware that compromises one’s
equipment. A secondary reason for being cautious is not only to prevent such
attacks, but to prevent one’s personal information from being easily
accessible. This can have detrimental effects to an individual and a company
ranging from identity theft to fraud.
References:
Digital Citizenship Module Manual. The Independent Institute
of
Education. 2019.
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