Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! My name is Cameron Lee, and today we will be diving into digital citizenship. So what exactly does digital citizenship entail? Well, a digital citizen is someone that develops the skills and knowledge to effectively use the internet and digital technologies. A lot of my generation, along with myself, would consider themselves digital citizens. Growing up in an age dominated by technology and technological advances, I’ve had unlimited access to the internet since I was a young kid. And throughout the years, the internet has really transformed into it’s own universe.
Almost anyone has access to anything through the internet. Whether it’s for schoolwork, independent research, or pure entertainment, the world is at your fingertips. As a college student, I can’t even begin to describe how thankful I am to live in an age where information is so readily available and accessible. This is mostly due to what we call metadata. A great source I recommend reading to learn more on the topic is Beginner’s Guide to Writing Metadata . Essentially, Metadata is data on data. Now if that doesn’t make sense right away, let me expand. When referring to sources, the actual content is called data. That’s the “information” you search for, such as readings or writings. Metadata, is information about that data. For example, key words or how the information can best be summarized and organized. The reason metadata is so important is because that’s the reason why information on the internet is so accessible in the first place. Without it, finding certain things on the internet would take ages and almost be impossible. And if website don’t create their own meta titles and descriptions, search engines such as google will simply create them by themselves. That’s why it’s important for webpages to create their own because they know their data best.
However, there is some darker sides to web browsers and publishers. All search engines have biases, regardless of how neutral they claim to be. And because of this, some information will always be harder to find for users, regardless of algorithms or metadata. While the internet might seem like a “free” place for users to do as they wish, these publishers aren’t any better than the government. They have the ability to regulate practically whatever they want, plus they have access to anyone’s data. And though some might say they don’t care what these companies do with their data, they and everyone else should. Relating the digital workspace back to Braiding Sweetgrass, it’s important for users to maintain skepticism. The internet does do a lot of good and is extremely useful, but being cautious and understanding when something is off or doesn’t seem right is important. Personally, I find it extremely weird whenever I mention a certain something and then I see ads or videos about said thing instantly popping up on my phone. And companies have been utilizing this form of marketing since the beginning of the web.
In general, the internet is awesome but dangerous. Anyone using it should be aware of that, and should utilize their digital skills and knowledge to have a safe experience.