TOPIC 2

EVOLUTION OF
MEDIA AND
TECHNOLOGY
LITERACY:
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

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Most of the general knowledge, universal beliefs, and scientific theories that the human population know
today originally came from books. But aside from concepts, ideas, and literature, people also want to know
about daily events and lifestyle. Hence, the birth of newspapers and magazines. This growing need for
information and entertainment was soon satiated by radio and television. The artistic nature of books found
its counterpart in film and cinema. All these forms of media that ruled our lives from 15th to 20th century
became known as Traditional Media.
They have influenced and carried culture throughout time. They have shaped people directly and indirectly
in varying degrees. They are called “traditional” for two basic reasons:
1. The development of these media by its purveyors set the language that would make it
conventional and thus easily comprehensible to the general audience, and
2. It is called such vis-à-vis its challenger, the New Media
If we summarize the evolution of media as whole, we can see that it went through these specific AGES or
periods:
 The Prehistoric Age, wherein the medium of communication was primarily oral.
 The Pre-Industrial Age, which was a long period and had an agricultural and handicraft economy. It
saw the development of languages and forms of writing in specific cultures, such as the papyrus in Egypt,
wooden blocks in China, the Codex of the Mayan region, andthe Acta Diurna in Rome which were stone
and metal carved tablets conveying public messages. They were believed to be the earliest forms of
newspapers or newsletters. Later,the first printing press was developed.
 The Industrial Age, marked by invention of machines and machine manufacturers, which started in
England and other European countries in the 18th century. Communication technology were the telegraph,
telephone, and early radio and film.
 The Electronic Age which contributed greatly to the improvement of radio and film, and the invention
of television.
 The Digital Age, which is also called the New Media age. It is called “new” because
1. it uses the newest means of communication, which is digital technology, and
2. this technology is still a work of progress.
For this chapter, we will learn about how the digital age was ushered in by the development of theinternet
and how this technology is challenging traditional media into obsolescence and forcing into convergence.

Just like radio, the internet was a communication technology first before it became known as a “media
platform” or mass communication channel.

In the late ‘50s, the RAND Corporation, America’s foremost Cold War think-tank, faced a strangestrategic
problem. How could the US authorities successfully communicate after a nuclear war?
Post-nuclear America would need a command-and-control network, linked from city to city, state to state,
base to base. But no matter how thoroughly that network was armored or protected, its switches and wiring
would always be vulnerable to the impact of atomic bombs. A nuclear attack would reduce any conceivable
network to tatters.
And how would the network itself be commanded and controlled? Any central authority, any network
central citadel, would be an obvious and immediate target for an enemy missile. The centerof the network
would be the very first place to go. RAND mulled over this grim puzzle in deep military secrecy and arrived
at a daring solution. The RAND proposal by PAUL BARAN was made public in 1964. In the first place,
the network would have no central authority. Furthermore, it would be designed from the beginning to
operate while in tatters.
The Internet was the result of some visionary thinking by people in the early 1960s who saw great
potential value in allowing computers to share information on research and development in scientific
and military fields.
The Internet, then known as ARPANET, was brought online in 1969 under a contract let by the renamed
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) which initially connected four major computers at
universities in the southwestern US (UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, UCSB, andthe University of Utah).
The Internet was designed to provide a communications network that would work even if some of
the major sites were down. This was a great idea. If the most direct route were not available, routers would
direct traffic around the network via alternate routes.
The early Internet was used by computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. There was nothing
friendly about it. There were no home or office personal computers in those days, and anyone who used it,
whether a computer professional or an engineer or scientist or librarian, had to learn to use a very complex
system.
Meanwhile also in the 1960s, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) led the commercial
computer explosion. One of its innovations was to sell rather than rent computers to customers. In 1969,
rather than offer hardware, services and software exclusively in packages, marketers "unbundled" the
components and offered them for sale individually. This paved the wayto how technology is sold today.
But since computers were mainly large, centralized machines with mainframe and minicomputers with
terminals, the “networked communication system” that Baran started with ARPA can only be used in
companies and universities. Note that the term for this system wasn’t the Internet yet.
In 1974, Standford University’s VINTON CERF and the military’s ROBERT KAHN coined theterm “the
INTERNET.”
By the 1970s, when the semiconductor replaced the vacuum tube as the essential information processor in
computers, its tiny size, absence of heat, and low cost made possible the design and production of the
PERSONAL COMPUTER. This of course opened the Net to anyone, anywhere.
While in college during the ‘70s, STEVE JOBS and STEVE WOZNIAK, and BILL GATES, started
tinkering with this new technology.
GATES sensed that the power of computers would not reside in their size but in the software that ran them.
He dropped out of Harvard University to set up Microsoft Corporation. They licensed the Operating System
(OS) which freed users from requiring to use sophisticated operating languages like a programmer.
Meanwhile, JOBS and WOZNIAK, also college dropouts from Stanford, perfected their machine APPLE
II, a low-cost, easy-to-use, microcomputer designed for personal rather than business use. Its multimedia
capabilities made the machine hugely successful.

IBM, who failed to enter the personal computer business, partnered with Microsoft and launched the first
IBM PC in 1981.
All these developments paved the home computer revolution. The internet gave the computer a different
purpose in the lives of its users – way beyond just computing.
The ‘80s to the ‘90s saw the development of the following communication technology that we stilluse now:
▪ E-mail – (short for Electronical Mail).

▪ VoIP – (pronounced “voyp”) Voice over Internet Protocol. Think of it as voice e-mail.
With broadband connection more affordable these days, more people are now making calls
via the internet using apps such as Skype, Viber, and Messenger.

▪ World Wide Web (often referred to as “the web”) is a way to access information files on
the Internet. The Web is NOT a physical place, nor a set of files, nor even a network of
computers. The World Wide Web (WWW) uses hypertext transfer protocols (HTTP)
developed in the ‘90s by TIM BERNERS-LEE (often nicknamed TBL), which he gave to
the world FOR FREE! (Yup, he’s not collecting any royalty fees for this). His goal was for
users to enjoy the Internet, making it a social experience and not a technical one.

MEDIA CONVERGENCE

Since the diffusion of personal computing in the1980s, the expansion of the World Wide Web in the 1990s,
and the emergence of mobile devices and social networking sites in the 2000s, digital technology has been
a catalyst for social change in contemporary societies. From economy to politics, from education to culture,
practically all aspects of human life have been transformed dueto the different ways of developing and using
ICT.
In the specific field of media and communication, the media ecology has mutated from the traditional
broadcasting system to a new environment, where the old ‘media species’ (radio, cinema, television, books,
etc.) must compete with the new ones (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, mobile devices, etc.) and adapt and
change in order to survive.
In this context, new media production, distribution, and consumption practices have emerged, theaudiences
have fragmented, and the former passive TV viewer is now an active user that jumps from one media or
platform to the next one looking for specific content or information. And last but not least, many of these
new media consumers are now considered ‘prosumers’ who create andshare “user-generated” contents.
We typically think of people who access a medium as audience members but the Internet has USERS and
not audience. This signifies the interactive nature of the medium. At any time – or even at the same time –
a person may be both reading and creating content on the Internet. E-mailand chat groups (formerly rooms)
are obvious examples of online users being both audience and creators. Text-based role-playing games, or
multi-user dimensions (MUDs) enable entire alternative realities to be simultaneously constructed and
engaged, and computer screens that have multiple open windows enable users to “read” one site while
creating another.
As former NBC and PBS president Lawrence K. Grossman wrote in 1999,
“Gutenberg made us all readers. Radio and television made us all first-hand observers. Xerox made us
all publishers. The In ternet makes us all journalists, broadcasters, columnists, and critics.”
What is MEDIA
CONVERGENCE?
Also called cross-media convergenceand new
media, this is the stage in which older media
are reconfigured in various forms on newer
media.However, this does not mean thatthese
older forms cease to exist. For example, you
can still get the New York Times in print, but
it’s also now accessible on laptops and
smartphones via platforms, but we also see
the fragmenting of large audiences into
smaller niche markets.
Media Convergence can happen in 4 WAYS (by Henry Jenkins, Convergence Culture)
1. TECHNOLOGICAL
o The merging of previously distinct
media technologies and media forms
because of digitization and computer
networking
o With new technologies allowing
access to more media options than
ever, mass audiences are morphing
into audience subsets that chase
particular lifestyles, politics, hobbies,
and forms of entertainment.
o Clear examples of this are: print +
digital = PDFs or E-books, movie
prod content + TV format + digital =
Netflix, radio + TV = teleradyo, and more.
o This technology convergence gave way to Citizen Journalism. Before, journalists
had to run back to their offices to type their stories on typewriters and/or desktop
computers. Now, journalists and even non-journalists can do formal and informal
reportage respectively via their smart phones and social media apps.
o As a result, it broke the rules between deadlines and other time, between journalists
and editors, and between content platforms.
2. INDUSTRIAL
o An economic strategy in which the media properties owned by communications
companies employ digitization and computer networking to work together. This is
also called SYNERGY
o In the context of media studies, it is the rationale behind the concentration of media
in one company or organization. (Ex. ABS-CBN owning multi-media companies)
making it the driving force for Mergers and Acquisitions in the media and telecom
industries. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) is general term used to refer to the
consolidation of companies.
• A merger is a combination of two companies to form a new
company or sometimes retaining the 2 companies but operating as
one.
• An acquisition is the purchase of one company by another in
which no new company is formed.
o The 1990s and early 2000s saw large mergers such as: Viacom-Paramount (1994),
Disney-ABC (1995), Viacom-CBS (2000), NBC-Universal (2004), America
OnLine (AOL), and Time Warner (2000) – the biggest merger.
o Cross-media convergence gave rise to giant new digital media players.
 3. SOCIAL
o Social media make it possible for everyone in the network to be simultaneously
producer, distributor, and consumer of content.
o Social media’s power comes from the connections between its users.
o Social media allows users to coordinate activities between themselves “on scales
and at speeds that were not previously possible.”

4. TEXTUAL
o Also called TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING which is telling stories across
multiple platforms.
o But this does not only refer to the adaptation of content from one platform to
another.
o This also pertains to a specific narrative structure that expands through both
different languages (verbal, iconic, etc.) and media (cinema, comics, television,
video games, etc.).
o For example: Star Wars and Marvel franchise
o The equation is: Brand extension = new audiences = fan engagement = selling
more products = more revenues

In short, Convergence brings together the “three C’s”— computing, communication, and
content— and is a direct consequence of the digitization of media content and the popularization
of the Internet.
Video Games as Convergent Media

Coming from the concepts of convergence discussed in the preceding pages, the VIDEO GAME then is
an entertainment platform that frames a convergence of old and new media and modes of media use.

Video games have gone from being a derivative medium that took its cues from other media, suchas books,
films, and music, to being a form of media that other types derive new ideas from. Videogames have also
interacted with older forms of media to change them and create new means of entertainment and interaction.

The aesthetics and principles of gaming culture have had an increasing effect on mainstream culture. This
has led to the gradual acceptance of marginalized social groups (geek subculture) andincreased comfort with
virtual worlds and the pursuit of new means of interaction.

Educational institutions have embraced the use of video games as valuable tools for teaching. Thesetools
include simulated worlds in which important life skills can be learned and improved. Education has been
changed by video games in the form of new technologies that help teachers and students communicate in
new ways through educational games.
The Issues of Convergence

Security

Before, different media were subject to different levels of regulation based upon whether they were
distributed in public or consumed in private (censorship & age-appropriateness for children viewers). In
the 21st century, content is now accessible in digital form across multiple devices NOHOLDS BARRED.
As of date, laws are still being updated but due to the tedious bureaucratic nature of law-making, it cannot
catch up with the swift progress, development, and innovation of the technology.

Technological Determinism
It is the idea that machines and their development that drive economic and cultural change. Certainly, there
can be no doubt that movable type contributed to the Protestant Reformation and the decline of the Catholic
Church’s power in Europe or that television changed the way Americanfamilies interact, and the rest of the
world followed suit. Those who believe in technological determinism would argue that these changes in the
cultural landscape were the inevitable result ofnew technology. But others see technology as more neutral
and claim that the way people use technology is what it gives significance. This perspective accepts
technology’s influence as one ofthe many factors that shape economic and cultural change; technology’s
influence is ultimately determined by how much power it is given by the people and cultures that use it. This
disagreement is the heart of the debate whether we are all powerless in the wake of advances in
communicationtechnology. What do you think?

Media Monopoly, Globalization, and Democracy

The ownership of media companies is increasingly concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Hello, Disney!
Through mergers, acquisitions, buyouts, and hostile takeovers, a very small number of large conglomerates
are coming to own more and more of the world’s media outlets. The potentialimpact of globalization on the
mass communication process speaks to the issue of diversity of expression. In this context, what stories will
go untold, what questions unasked, and what power unchallenged? Sounds familiar?
The horrific events of September 11, 2001 put Concentration and Conglomeration and their effect on news
squarely in the public forum. Many observers in and out of the media identified corporate-mandated cost
reductions and staff cuts as the primary reasons why the public was caught off- guard. Why? From the early
1990s, major news networks turned foreign news into a niche subject.
In the Philippines, with the dominance of a duopoly, there was more emphasis on scandal, lifestyle, and
personalities. And since these were mostly in Metro Manila, stories in Mindanao were hardly represented.
Mindanao news only reached Mindanao audiences (but still limited to the allotted regional timeslot) but
local news in Metro Manila reached national audiences. Critics believe that if we knew more about
Afghanistan situation and the Moro problem in Mindanao then events like 9-11 and the Marawi siege
respectively would have had intervention.

Audience Fragmentation
Because of the multiplicity of screens in a typical household, audience is becoming more fragmented – its
segments now more defined. In the early years, radio, television, newspapers, and magazines had a
homogenous content catering to a general type of audience. Applying the business principle of market
segmentation, magazines, for example, targeted smaller audiences that were alike in some important
characteristics (demographics and psychographics) and more attractive tospecific advertisers.
This phenomenon is known as NARROWCASTING, Niche Marketing or Targeting. If the nature of
media’s audience is changing, then the mass communication process must also change. The audience in
mass communication is typically a large, varied group about which the media industries know only the most
superficial information.
Here are some important questions: So, what will happen as smaller, more specific audiences become better
known to their partners in the process of making meaning? What will happen to thenational culture that
binds us as we become increasingly fragmented into demographically targetedTASTE PUBLICS – groups
of people bound by little more than an interest in each form of mediacontent?

Hyper-Commercialism
Because of Audience Fragmentation, selling more advertising on existing and new media and identifying
additional ways to combine content and commercials are the two most common strategies. This leads to
“hyper-commercialism” which is the sheer growth in the amount of advertising. But the increased mixing
of commercial and non-commercial media content is even more troubling.
Examples of this are advertorials, branded content, and subtle product placements. Socialmedia
platforms are more susceptible to this strategy because of the influence of its users.

Multi-Screen Optimizing
• OMNI-TV means screens are ever present around us.
o Fast videos will be the definitive go-to content type that will be repurposed into
different channels and formats to replace boring online advertising. These snackable
videos will be strategically distributed to cover all types of screen – not just TV,
laptops, and mobile devices.
o Context appropriateness will decide the length, format as well as screen type. A
good example of this is the effectiveness of NAS DAILY, a vlog popular for its one-
minute video stories.

• OOH (Out of Home) digital screens are poised to reinvent traditional buying methodology.
o Multi-screen-targeting will also influence the creative business creating a new genre
called FMCP (fast-moving creative production) which sounds like FMCG (fast
moving consumer goods)
o
Digital Citizenship
When you are called a CITIZEN, you are a legally recognized subject and inhabitant of a state, either native
or naturalized (immigrants). As a Citizen, you are entitled to enjoy all the legal rightsand privileges granted
by the particular state to its people comprising its constituency and are obligated to obey its laws and to
fulfill your duties as called upon.
In short, just like state citizenship, digital citizenship comes with RIGHTS TO CLAIM and RULES TO
FOLLOW.
TYPES OF DIGITAL CITIZENS

According to Marc Prenzky, “today’s students have not just changed incrementally from those of the past, nor
simply changed their slang, clothes, body adornments, orstyles, as has happenedbetween generations previously.
A really big discontinuity has taken place.One might even call it a “singularity” – an event which changes things
so fundamentally that there is absolutely no going back. This so-called “singularity” is the arrival and rapid
dissemination of digital technology in the last decades of the 20th century.”
It is now clear that as a result of this ubiquitous environment and the sheer volume of their interaction with
it, today’s students think and process information fundamentally differently fromtheir predecessors. These
differences go far further and deeper than most educators suspect or realize.
What should we call these “new” students of today? Some refer to them as the N-[for Net]-gen orD-[for
digital]-gen. But the most useful designation that Prenzky has found for them is Digital Natives. Students
today are all “native speakers” of the digital language of computers, video gamesand the Internet.
So, if this new generation is referred to as such, then what about the others who do not fall into thiscategory?
Hence, there are about 4 types of digital citizens in this community called the Internet.

DIGITAL NATIVES refer to persons born orbrought up

during the age of digital technology andtherefore familiar
with computers and the Internet from an early age. For most
people, the term nativeconjures images of the indigenous…
the original dwellers or inhabitants of a land. This is why
the term “native” is used in the digital world context. Digital
Natives mean they are “born into this digitalland”.
One particular characteristic of a native is his natural ability
to use the language of the land. However, native speakers
do not necessarily meanthey are “literate”. For example, a
typical Filipino citizen may speak Bisaya or Tagalog
naturally but they find it hard to write and speak it in an
academic or formal setting. A native speaker doesn’t
necessarily mean they are fluent in the nuances of grammar
rules and literary styles.
The same analogy may be applied to Digital Natives. Just because this generation was practically born with
an iPad in their hands, they do not necessarily mean they are Digital Literate, as definedearlier. That is why,
Senior High School students and younger learners have to be formally taught what DIGITAL LITERACY
is.
Still in the context of citizenship, if we have native dwellers, then we also have immigrants. What’s the
difference between EMIGRATION and IMMIGRATION? The former is the act of leaving one's own
country to settle permanently in another; or moving abroad. While the latter is the actionof coming to live
permanently in a foreign country.
In the context of the digital world, the DIGITAL IMMIGRANT is an individual who was born before the
widespread adoption of digital technology. The term digital immigrant may also applyto individuals who
were born after the spread of digital technology and who were not exposed to itat an early age. So similar to
the immigration that we know in social science, these people “movedto live permanently in a foreign place”
which is the INTERNET. It is strange because they were not born and raised in this era.
In gist, digital immigrants and digital natives are separated by what we call the DIGITAL DIVIDE.There’s
a wall; a border that cuts in between. To cross this border is the pursuit of the Digital Immigrant. But there
are also those who are OFF THE GRID. We call them DIGITAL FUGITIVES and DIGITAL ALIENS.
In regular terms, a fugitive is someone who is running away or hiding while aliens are the outsiders. The
same is true in the digital world.
Digital Fugitives are those people who are AWARE of the new technology but refuse to adopt it;refusing
to use contemporary mobile technology and other internet-based communication platforms. While Digital
Aliens are those who are totally UNAWARE of the new technology but MAY BE WILLING to adopt if
given the chance. Can you identify these 4 types in your immediatecircle of family and friends?

RIBBLE’S ELEMENTS OF DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

Each day the world is becoming increasingly digital. You as students begin to use more and moretechnology
devices at home and in the classroom. But, are you prepared to be good digital citizens?Just as you learn the
rules of society, it is imperative that you learn the rules of the digital world, and how to be safe and
responsible with technology. Taken from Mike Ribble’s Digital Citizenship in Schools, the nine elements
of digital citizenship are not simple, stand-alone issues.They relate to each other in a dizzying variety of
ways.

1. DIGITAL ACCESS – Full electronic participation in society

Technology provides opportunities for large numbers of people to communicate and interact very quickly.
However, not everyone has access to all the tools of this new digital society. Because of socioeconomic
status, disabilities, and physical location (among other factors), these opportunitiesare not equally available
to all students or teachers. Groups that are disenfranchised by lack of technology access include families
who do not have the financial ability to have technology in thehome, school districts that have too few
computers for their students (while others have more thanenough), and rural schools that lack access to
high-speed Internet connections. Educators need to evaluate the use of computers within their schools. Do
all students have access throughout the dayto technology?

2. DIGITAL COMMERCE – The electronic buying and selling of goods

Digital commerce is often the most difficult element of digital citizenship for educators to addressin the
classroom. Teachers may believe it is not their responsibility to teach students to be informed, careful
consumers (except in certain business courses). However, online purchasing has become an important
factor in students’ lives. According to Harris Interactive, in 2009 America’s youth ages 8–24 (Generation
Y) spent $220 billion online. Digital commerce plays a large role in students’ lives, so they need to
understand all aspects of these online transactions.
Learning to become an intelligent consumer is an important aspect of good citizenship. Unfortunately, it is
not uncommon for students to go online and purchase items without thinking about the consequences.
Often, the consequences extend beyond accumulation of debt. Forexample, not knowing how and where to
buy items online can leave kids vulnerable to Internet scams and identity theft. If teachers hope to prepare
students for the rest of their lives, digital commerce is an important issue that needs to be addressed.

3. DIGITAL COMMUNICATION – The electronic exchange of information

Cell phones, social networking, and texting have changed the way people communicate. These forms of
communication have created a new social structure governing how, when, and with whompeople interact.
Digital communication provides users with instant access to others on an unprecedented level. Many
businesses prefer using email over a phone call because email providesa record of the message. But there
are consequences to this built-in record-keeping feature. Users forget that even though they may delete a
message it is usually stored on a server or is backed up for future review. This means users need to think
about what they say when using email.
This is the same for many other communication methods like texting and social networking sites: even after
the information is deleted it continues to “live on” in cyberspace. Any of these technologies can be used
inappropriately. Too often, people sent emails, texts, or posts without considering who might see them or
how they might be interpreted. It is easy to write the first thingthat comes to mind and then send it before
considering the long-term consequences. In some situations speaking to someone face-to-face can solve a
situation faster than multiple emails or other communication methods.

4. DIGITAL LITERACY – The process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of
technology
One of the most important aspects of technology is understanding how that technology works so that it can
be used in the most appropriate manner. Although many agree this is important, it is often overlooked. How
many people were “taught” how to use a cell phone while they are in the cellular store or kiosk?
This is becoming even more of an issue for education. Technology-infused learning is becoming more
commonplace every year and is becoming as transparent as the chalkboard and pencil. However, teaching
how to use technology appropriately has not kept pace. Learning with technology does not always include
instruction on appropriate and inappropriate use. Too often, the focus is on learning the technology itself,
with little time given to discussing what is or isn’t appropriate.
The ISTE stands for INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR TECHNOLOGY IN
EDUCATION. It is formerly known as the National Educational Technology Standards. ISTE Standards
are standards or criteria or principles for the use of technology in teaching and learning.

5. DIGITAL ETIQUETTE – The electronic standards of conduct or procedure

Responsible digital behavior makes every user a role model for students. Students watch how others use a
technology and assume if others can use it in that manner, so can they. The problem with teaching digital
technology is that few rules have been established for the proper use of thesedevices. The proliferation of
new technologies has created a steep learning curve for all users. Someusers are more adept and in tune than
others, and those who lag behind often do not understand thesubtle rules that have emerged among early
adopters.
In the past, it was up to parents and families to teach basic etiquette to their children before they reached
school. The problem with the new technologies is that parents have not been informed about what is
appropriate and what is not. Very often, parents and students alike are learning thesetechnologies from their
peers or by watching others use the technology. School technology teams are in a better position to teach
kids appropriate digital etiquette.

6. DIGITAL LAW – The electronic responsibility for actions and deeds

The Internet has made it easy to post, locate, and download a vast array of materials. Indeed, this ability to
share information easily is one of the strengths of the Internet. However, users often do not consider what
is appropriate, inappropriate, or even illegal when posting or accessing information on the Internet. Users
often remark, “We did not think it was wrong—all we were doing was sharing information.” The issues of
intellectual property rights and copyright protection are very real, and have very real consequences for
violations.
These issues were brought to the forefront when the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
fined students and others for downloading music illegally (Wired News, 2003). This action caused some
technology users to think twice about what is appropriate and illegal for online file sharing. However, in
2009 a three-year compilation of 16 countries by the International Federationof the Phonographic Industry
(IFPI) found that 95% of music files were illegally shared (IFPI, 2009). Ironically, a 2003 survey conducted
by Ipsos (a market research company) for Business Software Alliance indicated that two-thirds of college
faculty and administrators said it is wrong to download or swap files while less than one-quarter of students
felt the same way (CyberAtlas, 2003).

7. DIGITAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES – Those requirements and freedoms extended to

everyone in a digital world
When discussing the membership within a group, people often note that certain rights or privilegescome
with membership in that group. When someone is given membership rights, there is an assumption that the
person will act in accordance with the rules that govern that group. This is truefor digital society as well, in
which membership allows users to use digital content while enjoying certain protections. In the digital
world, users should expect that if they post information to a site (whether it is a poem, a picture, a song, or
some other form of original research or creative expression), others will enjoy it without vandalizing it,
passing it off as their own, or using it as a pretext to threaten or harass.
Being a full member in a digital society means that each user is afforded certain rights, and these rights
should be provided equally to all members. Digital citizens also have certain responsibilitiesto this society;
they must agree to live according to the parameters that are mutually agreed upon by members. These
boundaries may come in the form of legal rules or regulations, or as acceptableuse policies. In a perfect
world, those who partake in the digital society would work together to determine an appropriate-use
framework acceptable to all. The alternative is to have laws and rulesthrust on them.

8. DIGITAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS – Physical and psychological well-being in a digital

technology world
Students need to be aware of the physical dangers inherent in using digital technology. According to Alan
Hedge, director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Research Group at Cornell University, “…
carpal tunnel syndrome isn’t the only injury to worry about when working at a computer”. Eyestrain and
poor posture are not uncommon in digital technology-related activities.
Too often, technology safety concerns relate only to the security of equipment and not the physicalwell-
being and security of students. Sometimes computers are set on tables that are too high or toolow for younger
users. Adults should not hope that students will simply adapt to the surroundings,nor should they think that
students will stop using a given digital device before it causes problems.
In addition to the physical dangers, another aspect of digital safety that is receiving more attentionis the
topic of “Internet addiction.” It’s a double-edged problem: Not only do users become dependent on the
online experience, but they may also irreparably harm themselves physically. Taken to its extreme, Internet
addiction can cause both psychological as well as physical problems.This is an issue that is being recognized
around the world. Some addiction experts are finding thatthe withdrawal symptoms associated with Internet
addiction are similar to those of alcoholics.

9. DIGITAL SECURITY – The electronic precautions to guarantee safety

As more and more sensitive information is stored electronically, a correspondingly robust strategyshould
be developed to protect that information. At the very least, students need to learn how to protect electronic
data (e.g., using virus protection software, erecting firewalls, and making backups).
The idea of protecting what we have should not be foreign to anyone. We put locks on our doors, mount
smoke detectors in our homes, and install security systems designed to protect our families and possessions.
As a repository of personal information, a personal computer should have as many(if not more) security
features as the home that surrounds it. Why should anyone go to the trouble of installing these additional
protections? Because technology intruders do not break in through thefront door—they hack in through your
Internet connection. Any computer that does not have virusprotection (with up-to-date virus definitions) is
vulnerable. Any computer connected 24/7 to the Internet without firewall protection is defenseless against a
snooper on the prowl. Having a wirelessnetwork without encryption is tantamount to offering free access to
any and all comers.
More often than not, security faults occur not because of flaws in the equipment but because of theways
people use it. We give away our passwords without thinking of the consequences. We do nottake the time
to speak to our children about the possible dangers of meeting people on the Internet.Young people often
view strangers on the Internet as potential friends they have not yet met (Gross,2009). Too often, students
correlate their social status in the digital world with the number of online“friends” they have linked to their
Social Media accounts.