Being a Positive University Level Digital-Citizen

Being a Positive university-level digital citizen

July 27, 2023

Marina Hand

Digital citizenship

notes

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Digital citizenship is the understanding of how to navigate environments on the internet in a responsible and repsectful way.

https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/what-digital-citizenship#:~:text=Digital%20citizenship%20is%20the%20ability,mindful%20of%20our%20actions%20online.

Four Basic standards to Being a Good Digital Citizen

1. Treat others how you would like to be treated2. Think before you type3. avoid putting any person information4. always remain professional

#1 Treat others how you want to be treated

When commenting, posting, WRITING to others, or DOING ANYTHING ENGAGING that you may be doing online, remember that you are interacting with real people, and that anything considered mean, AGGRESSIVE, or INAPPROPRIATE can have negative consequences. its always best to be kind and COURTEOUS.

An example of treating others how you want to be treated is when they post something; even if you disagree with it, be kind. There is no need to respond with negativity or hate speech. Consider how you would feel if you were on the opposite end. Saying harmful or inappropriate things can also have consequences, such as you getting banned from a platform.

https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/communicationskills/being-a-good-digital-citizen/1/#

#2 Think Before You Type

It is extremely important to think before posting or commenting on anything online. Always check your wording and try and consider if anything you are posting could be offensive or perceived in a negative way. Even if you have private accounts, anything that you do online can still be found and will never be deleted, even if you think it's gone.

An example of thinking before you type is to question whether you would say what you are thinking in a room full of people. If you would not feel comfortable saying it in front of a room full of people, you should not post it.

https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/netiquette-guidelines-every-online-student-needs-to-know/

#3 Avoid Posting any Person Info

Always avoid posting any pictures or text that contain any personal information. If you want to post a picture, make sure that your address, phone number, social security number, or anything else identifying is in the photo. Scammers and hackers can use any of these pieces of information to commit identity theft. Even one of those pieces of information is enough for someone to commit identity theft.

One example of how people post personal information is when a teenager gets their driver's license, and they or their parent gets excited and posts a picture of the teenager and the license. A scammer can zoom in and see the driver's license number and home address and can use it to commit identity theft. When that happens, an exciting moment for a family can then become a stressful one.

https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/communicationskills/being-a-good-digital-citizen/1/#

#4 Always remain professional

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It is a good rule of thumb always to remain professional online, no matter what you are doing online. Use positive language at all times. If you want to post anything, such as your personal opinions on politics or anything else that is opinion based, do not be negative. When posting any articles or stories on current events, make sure that they are not false before posting. Also, do not post things that are not cited or from another source but as your own. Always give credit to original authors because plagiarism can also happen on social media. If you always remain professional online, you will not have to worry about having bad digital citizenship.

https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/netiquette-guidelines-every-online-student-needs-to-know/

A good example of being professional online is using kind language when expressing personal views. If you disagree with someone, refrain from calling them "stupid" or "ignorant" or anything else that is harsh. Your comments will never go away, and comments like that make you seem negative and judgmental.

Works Cited

• Brooks, Ashley. “10 Netiquette Guidelines Online Students Need to Know.” Rasmussen.edu, 2019, www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/netiquette-guidelines-every-online-student-needs-to-know/

• “Communication Skills: Being a Good Digital Citizen.” GCFGlobal.org, 21 Aug. 2018, edu.gcfglobal.org/en/communicationskills/being-a-good-digital-citizen/1/#

• “What Is Digital Citizenship?” MediaSmarts, 8 Aug. 2022, mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/what-digital-citizenship#:~:text=Digital%20citizenship%20is%20the%20ability

All images provided by Genial.y.com