Pay Attention! The Digital Age Has Arrived — Be a successful and effective digital citizen！
— While the digital world is convenient for people, it also brings many difficulties and challenges. So, what are the implications of living in a digital world? How do we become a qualified digital citizen?
Digital society refers to a social form in which digital technology becomes the center of life and social interaction. People use digital technologies to get information, socialize, shop and work. The benefits of the digital age for individuals and society are indelible, but at the same time we must think about the challenges that come with it. As a qualified digital citizen, what kind of roles and obligations do we have? This blog will look at some of the major effects of the digital age and provide an in-depth discussion of the digital age in terms of ethics and critical analysis.
The digital world brings us a more convenient lifestyle
In digital world, we can use the Internet and various digital devices anytime, anywhere, keep in touch with friends and family, obtain information, shop, etc. People are available to work at home to better balance work and life. Online courses enable resource sharing and personalized learning style through many educational platforms which include Knewton and Coursera and so on. I have detailed in another blog that digital technology has brought great convenience to students including me expecially during covid-19.
In fact, the biggest change the way people socialize. Many social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are becoming more and more popular in this digital world. According to statistics in 2023, quarterly number of monthly active users in Facebook reach to 2.98 billion. People use social media platforms to share their thoughts and opinions with people all over the world, they even communicate with people in other nations. However, with these increased possibilities come increased opportunities to behave in negative ways.
Information flood? Erroneous information?
—The digital age has brought an explosion of information, which travels at breakneck speed on social media and the Internet. More and more people are transmitting false information, actively or passively?
Many people spread false information deliberately to achieve a specific purpose or financial gain. However, many people may be unwittingly spreading disinformation because they haven’t done enough fact-checking or believed they’ve received reliable information. The spread of such false information may lead to panic and misunderstanding, affecting the health, safety, and interests of the public. This phenomenon abounds on the Internet, which indicating that there are many digital citizens, but not many “qualified” digital citizens.
Freedom of speech — freedom to abuse, bully and troll?
Some people say that it is free to speak, we can say whatever we want! However, I don’t think so. I believe the lethality of language is not weaker than weapons. In a matter of minutes, a snarky comment or a cheap and random slander can do irreparable damage to your reputation, health, and even property. Especially for many teenagers, cyberbullying is as scary as school violence. According to the data from 10,000 American children, 8.9% percent reported being the target of cyberbullying, and being the target of cyberbullying is an independent risk factor for youth suicide. This shows that if there are no rules in the digital world, it will cause very serious consequences.
Acting Ethically in the Digital Society!
Ethics are the ‘moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity’. Whether in real life or in the digital world, we all need to follow some basic ethics to ensure that our actions will not cause harm to others and maintain social order. However, in the digital age, ethical issues have become more complex and serious. On social media, our actions and statements can be wide disseminated easily. Therefore, we need to consider the potential consequences it may have on others when we post information and try to avoid causing negative impact as much as possible. For example, we should refrain from using discriminatory language and offensive remarks that may cause harm to others.
Notice! Critical analysis is necessary to following ethical standards!
I also believe a successful digital citizen not only needs to control his words and actions, but also needs to develop the ability to evaluate the validity and veracity of information sources. Being ethical can mean many different things in different contexts, but at its core is actively engaging with ideas rather than passively accepting the information you encounter. As applied to our digital age, we need to critically identify the sources, opinions, evidence, and other factors of the information we receive. Learn to analyze information by using tools like search engines, various sources of information, examining the reliability of authors and publications, etc. Develop critical thinking and judgment skills to avoid being misled by false information, while respecting the privacy rights and copyrights of others.
Conclusion-User Or Manager?
In the digital world, we are users, but we are also managers. We need to be ethical in our use of digital technology and acquire the corresponding digital literacy and skills to protect our privacy and security more effectively. As qualified and successful digital citizens, we monitor each other while managing our own behaviors. The digital world will only grow better and sustainably in the long run by resolutely rejecting all negative behaviors.
However, we also need to acknowledge that in the digital world, many things are beyond our control. For example, we may not be able to fully guarantee our online privacy. Therefore, we need to learn how to adapt to changes in the digital world and adjust our behaviors and expectations appropriately.
Reflection:
I must admit that this class has opened a whole new world for me. It is interesting, mysterious, and full of creativity. Before taking this course, although I lived in the digital world, I didn’t understand it. In other words, I hadn’t considered exploring the mysteries and meanings of the digital world before. Take a simplest example, as a student majoring in finance and accounting, I often use Excel to calculate data and generate various trend charts. But I never thought about how people spent a lot of time and money to measure these data when there was no digital technology? Enrolling in this course and learning how to create an effective blog has truly helped me have a deeper grasp of the digital age we live in.
Mistakes and reflections in courses
Publishing a blog post is new territory for me, and it is a more relaxed way to express my thoughts and opinions. When the first time to write blog posts, even though I feel interesting, but I still made a lot of mistakes. Take one of the mistakes as an example, I referenced pictures from unknown sources. I was randomly searching for pictures on the Internet and inserting them into my blog post, and I didn’t realize it was wrong at the time. In the past I might have thought this was only a small problem. It can be imaged that my first blog post failed at citing images and got a low rating.
As the course progressed, I began to understand what digital engagement meant, the history and development of the Internet, and the major impacts of the digital era on our lives. I learned how to identify the source and authenticity of data, and how to properly use other people’s data and opinions online. I realized the importance of following ethical rules in the digital world, and that it is immoral to falsely cite images from unknown sources. Reasonable quotation of pictures can better convey our point of view and help readers understand. However, irrational quoting can cause a lot of negative effects. This may lead to incorrect information dissemination and may also cause more serious consequences of copyright infringement.
As for some popular events, I also forwarded others’ comments on the Internet without confirmation several years ago. However, many statements are hurtful to others, even if the harm I can cause is trivial. But because of the Internet fermentation, if everyone makes some false statements, the harm caused will be huge. Does this also lead to cyberbullying? Through the study of the sixth week, I realized that following ethical rules in the online world is not only responsible for others, but also responsible for myself. In the digital age, everyone can browse what I’ve said, and the digital world will remember me even if I forget.
Future development
This course let me learn how to build an effective blog. Took me to understand the mysteries of the digital world and the meaning of our life in the digital world. I will continue to improve my writing skills and make my posts more interesting and engaging by improving the structure of my blog. At the same time, I will strive to become a qualified and effective digital citizen and develop my ability to think critically.
