What is Digital Citizenship and How Can You Be a Good Citizen?
Digital Citizenship– A digital citizen is a person utilizing information technology (IT) in order to engage in society, politics, and government. Digital Citizens are described as “those who use the Internet regularly and effectively.”
How to be a good digital citizen:
- Treat others the way you want to be treated– We were taught this golden rule as children, and it still applies today. Make sure you only say kind words in person, as well as online. Even though you can’t see them face to face, it still hurts as much
- Educate yourself– Make sure that you know what the site/social media platform’s you use are safe, and you know how to work them to your advantage. Make sure that the site doesn’t take advantage of any of your private information.
- Leave a positive digital footprint– Make sure to always say kind words, post good things, and make sure you don’t do anything you may regret. Don’t say things or post things that could hurt someone, make sure you lift others up online instead of bringing them down.
- Report bad behavior– When you see anything online that is upsetting, or could hurt someone else, make sure to report it to a guardian you trust, or report the user that posted those upsetting things to the app/site it is posted on. By reporting bad behavior, you could be protecting others from seeing the same thing you did. It could be taken off the site/app.
- Be yourself– At the end of the day, you shouldn’t be posting things or saying things that aren’t making you happy. Don’t do things that you think make you look cool or please others, stay true to yourself and always be kind.
What is Online Safety and How Can You Be Safe Online?
Online Safety– Internet Safety, or Online Safety, is the knowledge of maximizing the user’s personal safety and security risks on private information and property associated with using the internet, and the self-protection from computer crime in general.
Ways you can be safe online include:
- Keeping Personal Information Private/Professional-don’t share your home address, Professional background, how to get in touch with you, etc.
- Keep Your Privacy Settings On -Marketers and hackers love to get their hands on your personal information, and they can find out a lot from your social media and browser usage. Keep your privacy settings on to protect yourself.
- Choose, Strong Passwords-Passwords are very important because it protects, your personal information, people tend to use easy passwords to remember, such as 123456, but even though they are easy to remember, they are also easy for hackers to guess. Make sure to choose strong passwords that are harder for hackers to identify, you can use mixed letters and longer passwords.
- Choose Different passwords– Make sure to also use different passwords for different social medias and sites, so if a hacker figures out one of your passwords, they can’t access any of your other accounts.
- Be careful what you post– Remember not to post anything you may regret in the future, or something you wouldn’t want on the internet permanently. Even though you can delete a comment or a post, you cannot delete any copies that were made. Don’t past anything you wouldn’t want your mother or a boss to see.
- Be careful who you meet online– People you meet through the internet, aren’t always who they claim to be. Don’t divulge any personal information you wouldn’t want shared to a stranger. Using fake profile’s and identities, are ways hackers get close to their target, and then they can use the information you give them to harm you online or in real life.
- Be careful what you download– Ways cybercriminals like to get personal information, is by tricking their target into downloading a malware. Programs/apps that carry malwares can steal your passwords and personal information. Don’t download anything that looks sketchy or leads you to a sight you don’t trust.
- Practice safe online browsing– When searching online, don’t wander into dangerous sites. Cyber criminals can use sites to hack into information you may not want exposed, make sure that you are aware when clicking on sites because one careless click could expose a lot of information
What I learned about Online safety/digital citizenship:
After doing all this research about digital citizenship and online safety I learned a lot. Being a good digital citizenship is basically just being kind to others online and leaving a positive digital footprint. You want you treat others the way you want to be treated and you should never be scared to report things you see online that are upsetting. For online safety I learned to make safe, secure passwords. Passwords access everything, and if you want to keep your private information private, you need to make secure and different passwords. You also shouldn’t trust everything or everyone you see/meet online. I learned a lot about digital citizenship and online safety, and you should use these tips in your everyday online life.
Work Citied:
5 Tips For Good Digital Citizenship
DC Vicencio 