Birch 1

Respect, Responsibility, & Security:

Remaining Ethical Online

Catherine L. Birch

Lamar University
 Birch 2

Within today’s global, digitalized society, the barrier that separates citizenship and digital

citizenship has become obscure. This vagueness is due to the accelerated advancement of

technology and the fact that the internet has decreased many obstacles that contributed to a

decline in civic engagement. For many of the present-day’s citizens, the internet is the most

instinctive place to interact with their communities and take civic action. Long-established

approaches for citizenship must be reviewed and reformulated to compliment the 21st century

internet age in which we now exist.

There are several entities that define Digital Citizenship. Ribble (2015) states that:

“Digital Citizenship is the norms of appropriate, responsible tech use.” Minjeong & Dongyeon

(2018) define Digital Citizenship as: “The qualities required for citizens to use digital tools and

behave in various digital environment.” The International Society for Technology in Education

(ISTE) says good digital citizens “recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of

living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways

that are safe, legal and ethical.” This paper defines Digital Citizenship as recognizing the rights

and responsibilities of both self and others and engaging in ethical practices when interacting

within digital communities.

Mike Ribble breaks down Digital Citizenship into nine elements: access, commerce,

communication, literacy, etiquette, law, rights & responsibilities, health & wellness, and security

(Ripple, 2015). The following paragraphs give a more detailed description of each element.

Digital Access: full electronic participation in society. The root of Digital Citizenship

begins with actively taking a role in pursuing that all citizens have equal access to technology

and have the opportunity to take part in its many benefit. People who use technology must be

cognizant of the fact that no everyone has the same hi tech conveniences. Leveling the playing
 Birch 3

field of digital access should be a priority of all digital citizens, so our society can continue to

grow and use these tools.

Digital Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods. Citizens must become

efficient consumers when shopping online. Even though there are authorized and legal sales

taking place, there are still many issues to be aware of. For example, the illegal downloading of

films and music, gambling, and pornography.

Digital Communication: electronic exchange of information. Citizens now have the

ability to communicate with anyone at any time in this new digital world. This development of

digital communication provides instant connection and collaboration opportunities that were

never available before. Regrettably, there still exists a large group of users that have not been

taught how to make appropriate decisions with digital communication and can face irreversible

and even dangerous consequences because of it.

Digital Literacy: process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of

technology. In the technology driven society in which we currently live, citizens must modernize

our focus on what types of technologies should be taught along with how it should be used.

There are many workplace technologies that are being used in the professional world that are not

being taught to students, and most students are not being taught how to be self-directed learners.

This new age requires workers to be able to learn new content on the spot. This means that

learners in the classroom must be instructed on how to teach themselves, how to utilize the ever

evolving technology that is available to them, and make sense of the immense amount of

information that is constantly available and being updated right at their fingertips.

Digital Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or procedure. Most of the time,

inappropriate content that is posted online is simply banned and deleted. Citizens must be
 Birch 4

educated on digital etiquette before they begin using technology in order to be a proactive

citizen. We must go beyond just creating rules and policies regarding digital etiquette and

educate our citizens to competent digital citizens within our global community.

Digital Law: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds. Citizens must ensure that

they are committing ethical acts when using technology within our society. Unethical acts can

and do cause harm to other people’s lives, reputations, businesses, property, and incomes. Just

like following the laws outside of the internet, digital citizens must be mindful of the rules and

laws that apply to them. Basic digital rights protect citizens from unethical practices such as

hacking, baiting, illegal downloading, plagiarizing, sending spam, and stealing money.

Digital Rights & Responsibilities: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital

world. Similar to the Bill of Rights, digital citizens have fundamental rights in terms of

technology. Freedom of speech, right to privacy, right to an open unobstructed internet, equality,

peaceful participation, creativity, free sharing, equal internet access, freedom of association, and

right to benefit from what they create.

Digital Health & Wellness: physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology

world. Even though technology provides digital citizens with a plethora of knowledge, resources,

and educational opportunities at their fingertips, there are still many physical and psychological

issues that we must educate society on, so they are able to protect themselves. Issues like internet

addiction and repetitive stress syndrome are among these dangers.

Digital Security (self-protection): electronic precautions to guarantee safety. Just as

citizens protect themselves in their homes by locking their doors and keeping firearms, digital

citizens must install firewalls, regularly backup their data, and ensure protection to their

information online.
 Birch 5

These nine elements are not unconnected; they are all interdependent on each other.

Ripple (2015) grouped the elements into three categories in relation to their need within a

quintessential school setting. These categories integrate elements that: straightforwardly

influence learning and performance (access, literacy, and communication), transform the school

climate and student behavior (etiquette, rights and responsibilities, and security), and make an

impact on learners’ lives when they are not at school (commerce, health & wellness, and law).

After Ribble (2015) dissects Digital Citizenship down to nine elements, he goes further to

organize these elements under an umbrella of three principles: respect, educate, and protect. The

REPs are designed in a way that promote responsibility one has to himself and to others. They

are also intended to provide a framework that assist parents and their children have much needed

discussions on how to address the issues that arise specifically regarding technology. The REPs

are categorized as: Respect Yourself and Others (Etiquette, Access, Law), Educate Yourself and

Connect with Others (Literacy, Communication, Commerce), and Protect Yourself and Others

(Rights & Responsibilities, Security, Health & Wellness).

Proper Digital Citizenship encourages students to think critically, behave safely, and

participate responsibly in a digital world. In order to adequately educate young people with

technology, teachers must set boundaries for acceptable internet use, model ethical technology

use for their students, help learners take responsibility for their online actions, and educate them

on the norms of appropriate, rational technology use. In regards to intermediate schoolers, the

key elements of digital citizenship that are the most relevant to their lives and education would

be: digital etiquette, digital literacy, and digital access.

Digital etiquette encourages students to be respectful. It’s like the golden rule that

students are taught from a very early age. It is imperative that students understand that their
 Birch 6

choices, their words, and their actions in the digital world can have the same impact as in person.

Bullying has been a concern of parents and school personnel alike for a long time now. Bullying,

or hostile behavior towards another person, has now been transmitted online through the use of

social media, text messages, and emails (Snakenborg, Van Acker, & Gable, 2011; Watson,

2018). Hinduja and Patchin (2015, p 11) define cyberbullying as “willful and repeated harm

inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.” These actions

are willful, repeated, harmful, and are done through electronic devices. Some synonyms to

cyberbullying include e-bullying, digital bullying, cyber harassment, and internet

bullying. Cyberbullying is especially dangerous because victims have virtually no escape from

their tormentors. The majority of states have composed legislation to combat the bullying and

cyberbullying epidemic and many school districts have developed consequences for such acts,

but there are still many gaps and shortages in terms of prevention plans (Snakenborg, Van Acker,

& Gable, 2011). When Snakenborg, Van Acker, & Gable (2011) performed “cyberbullying”

keyword searches in social science databases, they encountered no peer-reviewed, empirical

studies for the prevention of or intervention with cyberbullying. In spite of that, many districts

and school officials have advocated for the following approaches: creating laws and rules to

regulate the use of media and use it to establish controls related to cyberbullying, design

programs that educate young people about safe and ethical internet use, and inform adolescents

of the consequences of cyberbullying (Snakenborg, Van Acker, & Gable, 2011; Watson, 2018).

Within today’s worldwide, all-encompassing society, digital literacy is an absolute

necessity. Students will need to possess the skills and mindsets that will allow them to create and

communicate effectively via technology. Over the last 15 years, society has been heavily

influenced by technology and so has business. This is why the focus of learning from early
 Birch 7

childhood through adulthood should include digital literacy. Learners will need to know how to

use electronic devices in a professional way, navigate the internet, perform academic searches

that produce valid and trustworthy content, follow the rules of copyright, know how to avoid

plagiarism, and know how to effectively interact and plan together via technology.

Finally, digital access is fundamental. With the proper access to technology, any person

can receive an education, from any place with a device and an internet connection. Children that

have access to a computer at home and an internet connection increases the likelihood of going

to college significantly. A report in 2013 by the New York City Comptroller’s Office showed

that 42% of unconnected households obtained less than high school graduation, and only 5%

earned a Bachelor’s degree (Lynch, 2017). Digital literacy and access combined with ethical

practices online will improve educational and career performance (Lynch, 2017).

“With great power, comes great responsibility.” If we are going to capacitate today’s

learners to utilize the vast abyss that is the internet, then we must also empower them with the

tools they need to be responsible and ethical when employing that mighty connectivity. If

students do not learn how to respect, educate, and protect themselves and others online, our

society will end up with a whole new slew of problems like cyberbullying, plagiarism, and a

nocuous digital footprint that will follow them for the rests of their lives.
 Birch 8

References

Crockett, L. W. (2018). LIBRARIANS LEAD THE GROWTH: of Information Literacy and Global

Digital Citizens. Knowledge Quest, 46(4), 28–33. Retrieved from

https://libproxy.lamar.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9

h&AN=128199629&site=ehost-live

Digital Citizenship: It's Not Just Good Curriculum, It's the Law. (2016). T H E Journal, 43(6), 22.

Lynch, M. (2017). Digital literacy is the most important lifelong learning tool. The Tech Edvocate.

Retrieved from https://www.thetechedvocate.org/digital-literacy-important-lifelong-learning-

tool/

Minjeong, K., & Dongyeon, C. (2018). Development of Youth Digital Citizenship Scale and Implication

for Educational Setting. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 21(1), 155-171.

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know (3rd ed.).

Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education

Snakenborg, J., Van Acker, R., & Gable, R. A. (2011). Cyberbullying: Prevention and Intervention to

Protect Our Children and Youth. Preventing School Failure, 55(2), 88–95. https://doi-

org.libproxy.lamar.edu/10.1080/1045988X.2011.539454

Watson, K. S. (2018). Shaping Digital Citizens: Cyberbullying prevention is a natural fit in school

libraries. American Libraries, 49(9/10/2018), 57. Retrieved from

https://libproxy.lamar.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9

h&AN=131666852&site=ehost-live