A digital citizen is a person using information technology (IT) in order to engage in society, politics, and government.

As defined by Karen Mossberger, one of the authors of Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and Participation, digital citizens are "those who use the internet regularly and effectively." They also have a comprehensive understanding of digital citizenship, which is the appropriate and responsible behavior when using technology.

Since digital citizenship evaluates the quality of an individual's response to membership in a digital community, it often requires the participation of all community members, both visible and those who are less visible. A large part in being a responsible digital citizen encompasses digital literacy, etiquette, online safety, and an acknowledgement of private versus public information.

People who characterize themselves as digital citizens often use IT extensively—creating blogs, using social networks, and participating in online journalism. Although digital citizenship begins when any child, teen, or adult signs up for an email address, posts pictures online, uses e-commerce to buy merchandise online, and/or participates in any electronic function that is B2B or B2C, the process of becoming a digital citizen goes beyond simple internet activity.

According to Thomas Humphrey Marshall, a primary framework of citizenship comprises three different traditions: liberalism, republicanism, and ascriptive hierarchy. Within this framework, the digital citizen needs to exist in order to promote equal economic opportunities and increase political participation. In this way, digital technology helps to lower the barriers to entry for participation as a citizen within a society.Type your paragraph here.

5. Property: 

Do citizens understand copyright, Creative Commons, and how to generate a license for their own work?

Do they respect the property rights of those who create intellectual property?


6. Permission: 

Do citizens know how to get permission for work they use, and do they know how to cite it?

7. Protection: 

Do citizens understand what viruses, malware, phishing, ransomware, and identity theft are, and how these things work?

8. Professionalism: 

Do citizens understand the professionalism of academics versus decisions about how they will interact in their social lives?

Do they know about netiquette and online grammar?

Are they globally competent?

Can they understand cultural taboos and recognize cultural disconnects when they happen, and do they have the skills to work problems out?

9. Personal brand: 

Have citizens decided about their voice and how they want to be perceived online?

Do they realize they have a “digital tattoo” that is almost impossible to erase?

Are they intentional about what they share?

Defining digital citizenship


Citizenship is formally defined as “the quality of an individual’s response to membership in a community.” This makes citizenship far more complex than a simple legal matter, but rather one that consists of self-knowledge, interaction, and intimate knowledge of a place, its people, and its cultural history.

Digital citizenship is nearly the same thing–“the quality of a response to membership in a digital community” would be a good first crack at the definition. Revising that might more clearly articulate the differences between physical and digital communities, so a decent definition of digital citizenship then might be “Self-monitored participation that reflects conscious interdependence with all (visible and less visible) community members”. But that leaves out the idea of content itself, which leads us to a pretty good definition for educators: “The quality of habits, actions, and consumption patterns that impact the ecology of digital content and communities.”


Components of digital citizenship


1. EDUCATE ON:

  • Digital Communication
  • Digital Literacy
  • Digital Commerce 


2. PROTECT:

  • Digital Rights and Responsibilities
  • Digital Health and Wellness
  • Digital Safety and Security 


3. RESPECT: 

  • Digital Etiquette
  • Digital Access
  • Digital Law 


4. CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: 

  • Uses technology in a positive way 
  • Understands internet bias 
  • Finds alternatives to hate 

According to Mike Ribble, an author who has worked on the topic of digital citizenship for more than a decade, digital access is the first element that is prevalent in today's educational curriculum. Digital citizenship refers to the responsible use of technology by anyone who uses computers, the Internet, and digital devices to engage with society on any level. 

The widening gap between the impoverished and the wealthy affects and widens the digital divide. Other crucial digital elements include commerce, communication, literacy, and etiquette. 

Since 2015 there has been a major shift to move learners from digital citizenship to digital leadership in order to make a greater impact on online interactions. Though digital citizens take a responsible approach to act ethically, digital leadership is a more proactive approach, encompassing the "use of internet and social media to improve the lives, well-being, and circumstances of others" as part of one's daily life







9 Key Ps” of digital citizenship:


1. Passwords: 

Do citizens know how to create a secure password?

Do they know that email and online banking should have a higher level of security and never use the same passwords as other sites?

Do they have a system like LastPass for managing passwords, or a secure app where they store this information?

2. Private information: 

Private information is information that can be used to identify a person. 

Do citizens know how to protect details like their address, email, and phone number? 

3. Personal information: 

While this information (like the number of brothers and sisters you have or your favorite food) can’t be used to identify you, you still need to choose who you will share it with.


4. Photographs: 

Are citizens aware that some private details (like license plates or street signs) may show up in photographs, and that they may not want to post those pictures?

Do they know how to turn off a geotagging feature?

Do they know that some facial recognition software can find them by inserting their latitude and longitude in the picture—even if they aren’t tagged?