Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Digital Citizenship #1

Everyone can become a good digital citizen with relative ease. You need to be caring towards others, understand the value of privacy, and know when to step away from the online world.

I see the etiquette of social media to be very similar to how you would act in the physical world. In the real world you wouldn't bash someone for looking different, wouldn't show embarrassing things about other people, and wouldn't yell your problems out in the middle of a crowded mall. So why do that online? Some people feel that since they are behind their computers and cannot see the reactions of others that anything they do has no real repercussions.

For example, face-to-face, being the richest forms of media, gives you the best level of understanding. You can see directly if anyone cares about what you're saying, see how they are affected by your comments, and see how they react to you revealing information about them. Online you cannot see these reactions. If you imagine someone doing what you're about to do to you then you're well on your way to becoming a better person online. The interesting thing about online interactions is that it is basically common sense about being a good person. So if you have that capability no need to change anything! You'll be a fine digital citizen.

If you're interested in learning more about the ethics of social relationships and the impact of social media on our culture then I suggest purchasing Sherry Turkle's "Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age" (http://www.amazon.com/Reclaiming-Conversation-Power-Talk-Digital/dp/1594205558).

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