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The Need for Digital Equity

Digital equity, in short, is equal access to the digital technology and information that is required to fully take part in society today. As more of our world becomes connected, any disparity in access to the internet only worsens the detriment to opportunity an individual can see. The digital divide is the natural consequence of a lack of digital equity, a concept “that highlights the distinction between information rich and information poor members of society “ (Pazurek & Feyissa, 2015). As the disparity grows, the equity wanes, and a cycle perpetuates itself.

Beyond missing out on the instantaneous access to information, be it current events or resources for any given purpose, a lack of access to information technology sincerely limits opportunity. Government systems are migrating towards online systems, general communication and job opportunities often rely on a digital presence and access to communication services. Students who don’t have the same access to information face an additional level of challenge, and often see their educational experience impaired as a result. 

This is, unfortunately, a well-documented issue. This is not to say that awareness isn’t rising, as there are certainly movements to increase digital equity globally. At this point, even the United Nations Human Rights Council has deemed internet access to be a basic human right. That being said, the UN is not able to legally enforce these ideas with any weight, and even in America there is the very real issue of cable companies having disproportionate control over the prices and lack of appropriate infrastructure to truly tackle the issue. Spreading awareness and furthering the cause of digital equity is a worthwhile endeavor, and a way to improve everyone’s quality of life.

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A (novice) Perspective on Digital Citizenship

tAs the society becomes more closely connected to digital spaces, the need for education around digital citizenship is more vital than ever. In a broad sense, digital citizenship pertains the ways in which we communicate and engage with digital communities. Much like “regular” citizenship, the intention is to foster respectful interactions that provide space for everyone to have a voice, and to engage with digital spaces responsibly. Ultimately, the goal of teaching digital citizenship stems from a desire to make sure our online participation is “safe, ethical, and legal” (Gleason & von Gillern, 2018). 

While sometimes used interchangeably, the ideas of digital citizenship and digital literacy are notably distinct. Digital literacy refers to how adept an individual is with navigating these digital spaces, such as social media applications like Facebook and Twitter, while digital citizenship relates to how we engage with these tools. Personally, I think of fluency and proficiency when talking about digital literacy. To that end, digital literacy is often spoken about in reference to being able to effectively locate, contextualize, and evaluate the information we’re seeing in digital spaces. Simply being able to utilize the available technology and parse through information does not necessarily mean that someone communicates appropriately. It’s possible to use this digital literacy in harmful ways, such as knowingly spreading misinformation or engaging in cyberbullying. In a manner of speaking, digital citizenship is an extension of digital literacy. Digital citizenship is the practice of providing education “not based solely on academic merits, but ethical merits as well” (Marcinek, 2013).

With the ways in which technology is becoming a larger part of our lives, there is a growing desire to see digital citizenship curriculum incorporated into educational programs. While it’s important to impart these skills in a more basic sense at younger ages, particularly elements related to safety and evaluating the validity of information, some of the more complex perspectives on digital citizenship are harder to grasp until high school and beyond. Secondary and post-secondary educational settings

One pitfall fo post-secondary educational settings can be the assumed skills and knowledge for some of the academic work. As it pertains to the topic at hand, many college students are expected to have exhibit a strong digital citizenship skills, knowing how to navigate different platforms and immediately engage with information. It’s the classic idea of where educators feel students should be versus where the students actually are. As an educator myself, I feel it’s important to pause to ensure that students have the skills necessary for the academic tasks I’m asking them to complete.

That being said, digital literacy looks inherently different in a secondary setting. Unlike primary and secondary education settings where it’s often most appropriate to direct students through processes, the age and maturity of most post-secondary students often leads to guidance being a more appropriate approach. Teaching high school, we often begin with direct instruction and slowly ease up on the assistance as students have more opportunity to practice skills. In a college setting, many students have already developed habits around using social media and finding information online, so providing activities (like engaging in discourse on Twitter or researching and publishing blog posts) where students can receive feedback and challenge themselves with new ways of engaging with digital spaces often broadens their horizons. Much like the more conventional use of citizenship, this is often a lifelong process built upon foundations we create in more formative years of our lives.

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Research Reflection

We are, in a sense, stuck with social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, or any other platform we use to communicate, it’s clear that the way we relay information has been irrevocably changed. As technology changes the social landscape, different generations engage with digital communication in differing ways. Much like the internet at large, people now have much more instantaneous access to one another. A majority of adolescents report feeling less alone, for example, as a result of social media. Connections can be fostered from a distance or when spending time together is not as readily available.

Social media platforms that may be viewed as more traditional or straightforward, such as Facebook or YouTube, remain the most highly used in general, but particularly so with older generations. Adolescents and young adults gravitate towards Snapchat and Twitter in higher numbers than older generations, but that is not to say that people don’t still access these apps. There is almost a degree of understanding about the nuances of digital communication, like the particular written quirks found on Twitter or hashtags, that provides a context for many younger people to communicate within.

This difference in engagement and communication norms leads to a gap in understanding between generations, I believe. Research from Common Sense Media indicates that many adolescents, upwards of 54%, feel that their parents would be concerned if they were aware of what transpired on social media. Snapchat, for example, with the fleeting and temporary nature of what users can immediately see, offers a means for people to share things with a lessened fear of consequence. There are, of course, ways in which people can take record of what is shared, but it is generally less permanent than a platform in the mold of Facebook or MySpace. That same fleeting nature can lend itself to other harmful behaviors, such as cyber bullying behaviors or ways of excluding individuals.

While interesting might not be the best choice of words, the idea that teens with a low sense of social-emotional well-being felt negative effects of social media more harshly resonates with me on a personal level. I primarily work with individuals who could be described as such, and had a tumultuous journey through adolescence myself, and between what I observe and have experienced I find this to hold true. I know that, even today, when I post something that does not really receive a reaction, positive or otherwise, I feel myself taking it personally in a sense. Logically I may know that my interests are maybe too esoteric, but emotionally it can stir a negative reaction like that. For me, personally, this has lead to me using social media less often. I don’t know that I have a solution to something like this, but I do think that technology use and social media should be topics of discussion in a therapy setting, especially working with adolescents with mental health issues. 

Social media isn’t necessarily good or bad, but rather presents a complex set of challenges to dissect. While I have generally held an aversion to it, I think starting to use it more has started to lead to a better appreciation, albeit with certain reservations.