Question 1
Q.1.1
According to Ribble (2011),
the nine elements that make up digital citizenship and encompasses the issue of
use, the misuse and abuse of technology are as follows : digital access,
digital commerce, digital communication ,digital literacy ,digital etiquette ,
digital law , digital rights and responsibilities , digital health and wellness
and lastly digital security (self protection ) . I will briefly discuss the
nine elements below .
Digital Access , according
to Ribble (2011), is ‘Full electronic
participation in society.’ Helping to
develop and provide access to technology
should be a priority to all digital civilians as working forward to
sustaining electronic access and equivalent rights are the starting points of
Digital Citizenship .(Ribble(2011)).
Digital Commerce is the
electronic selling and buying of produce, says Ribble (2011). A large portion
of the economy occurs electronically . Permissible exchanges occur and the consumer and supplier need to be
aware of the problems associated with it ,Users need to be aware of how to be
an efficient buyer .
Digital communication is
defined as the ‘electronic exchange of information.’ The digital communication
opportunities are expanding and everything has changed because people can now
be in constant communication with each other wherever and whenever .However due
to there being so many communication option, individuals are not making the
best decisions. ( Ribble(2011)).
Ribble(2011) suggests that
Digital Literacy is the procedure of learning about technology and teaching the
uses of technology. Digital citizenship includes educating individuals in a new
way therefore learners need to be taught how to use new technology
appropriately and quickly they need to be taught how to learn in a digital
society.
Digital etiquette is the
electronic criterion of procedure and is one of the most concerning issues when
it comes to digital citizenship. It is not enough for rules and regulations to
be set as everyone should be responsible for his/her own digital etiquette
(Ribble(2011)).
The electronic
responsibility for action is the definition of digital law which deals with the
ethic in technology within the general public . To follow the rules of society
would be regarded as ethical use of technology , unethical use would include
crime and/or theft . there are certain laws of society which needs to be
followed by anyone who uses the internet , these laws include the hacking into
others information ,plagiarizing, creating viruses and downloading of illegal
music , says (Ribble (2011)).
According to Ribble(2011) ,
having digital rights and responsibilities means having the freedoms in a
digital world .Being a digital citizen you have the right to free speech ,
privacy etc but with those rights comes responsibilities , you have to be respectful
and mindful of others rights .
Digital health and wellness
is defined as the psychological and physical well-being in a digital
environment .This means that certain issues such as repetitive stress syndrome
and eye safety have to be addressed. Psychologically there are possibilities of
internet addiction. (Ribble(2011)).
Lastly Ribble(2011)
identifies the ninth element as digital security or self protection .He goes on
to explain that in the digital world there are individuals that do not follow
the laws of society as they deface or steal from other people and it is up to
you to protect your digital space .
The above elements which
make up digital citizenship have been identified to tackle the issue of the use
and abuse of technology and is necessary or a safe and positive online
experience .
Q.1.2
The digital divide refers to
the fact that from the new economy there are certain parts of the population
that receives better opportunities to benefit from than other parts of the
population, according to (Nielsen,J (2006)).
Nielsen,J(2006) identifies three stages of digital divide .
Stage one is called Economic divide and it states that in the industrialised
world there is that fact that some people simply cannot afford to buy computers .Stage two is Usability divide,
this is the fact that individuals are not educated enough on technology
especially on new technology and therefore it becomes complicated to understand
. Stage 3 is the Empowerment divide refers to the fact that even if people had
access to computers they still would not make use of all the opportunities
technology has to offer.
Q.1.3
‘A digital citizen refers to
an individual utilizing information technology in order to engage in politics ,
government and society. Mossberger,K defines digital citizenship as ‘ those who
use the internet regularly and effectively. ‘
Social capital refers to the
importance of social systems and connecting different people with
different customs. (Dekker and Uslaner
(2002)).
A digital citizen can enhance
the social capital in the following ways:
By using information
technology there are new ways to politically, socially and economically
participate, there are possibilities for groups and individuals to develop
social capital thus creating better opportunities for development and income .
Digital citizenship allows for equality as users have the right to express
their political rights since the political circle is rising influence on social
capital .A large percentage of the population has a low level of computer
literacy which therefore causes exclusion, this forms a situation where many
individuals do not have political action and opportunity
Q.1.4
Q.1.4
Comments
Post a Comment