Digital citizenship

Digital citizenship

1. Fake news

   • News that is false and often sensational, the information is circulated under the disguise of news reporting. Often for financial gain or political propaganda. Fake news is not new it has in fact been around since about 1439 after Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press.
   • 2 TYPES OF FAKE NEWS
     • False stories that are deliberately published or sent around, in order to make people believe something untrue or to get lots of people to visit a website. These are deliberate lies that are put online, even though the person writing them knows that they are made up.
     • Stories that may have some truth to them, but they're not completely accurate. This is because the people writing them - for example, journalists or bloggers - don't check all of the facts before publishing the story, or they might exaggerate some of it.
   • HOW TO SPOT FAKE NEWS
     • Has the story been reported anywhere else? Is it on the radio, TV or in the newspapers? Have you heard of the organisation that published the story? Does the website where you found the story look genuine? (meaning it doesn't look like a copycat website that's designed to look like another genuine website) Does the website address at the very top of the page look real? Is the end of the website something normal like '.co.uk' or '.com', and not something unusual, like 'com.co'? Does the photo or video look normal? Does the story sound believable? If the answer to any of these questions is 'no', you might want to check it out a bit more, before spreading the word.

2. Cyberbullying

   • Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over any digital devices. The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are: Social Media, Text Message, Instant Message and Email.
   • Around half of teens have been the victims of cyber bullying. Around half of teens have been engaged in cyber bullying. Only 1 in 10 teens will tell their parents if they have been a victim of cyberbullying. More than 1 in 3 teens have experienced some form of threat. 1 in 10 teens have had an embarrassing or damaging picture taken of them without their permission. 1 in 5 teens have shared a sexually suggestive image of themselves. Gender race and social status does not affect the whether or not somebody will be a victim or bully. 10-20% of those who experience cyberbullying experience it regularly. Cyber bullying victims are more likely to have low self esteem and to consider suicide.
   • Posting comments, pictures or video’s or rumours that are mean, hurtful, or embarrassing. Threatening to hurt someone or telling them to harm themselves. Pretending to be someone else online in order to get personal or false information about someone else. Creating a mean or hurtful webpage about someone. All of these are considered cyberbullying.
   • WHAT IF YOU ARE A BULLYING SOMEBODY
     • Tell someone you trust. They may be able to offer you some advice about what to do. Go back and delete any upsetting or nasty posts or comments you’ve written, maybe contact the media platform. Be the one to make a stand, talk to others involved and encourage them to stop the bullying. It only takes one person to start making a big change. Apologise to the person who was bullied and offer them support. This can mean a lot to the other person. Everybody makes mistakes.

3. Netiquette

   • Core Netiquette rules
     • Remember the human
     • Behave online like you behave in real life
     • Know where you are in cyberspace
     • Respect other people's time/bandwidth
     • Make yourself look good online
     • Share expert knowledge
     • Help keep flame wars under control
     • Respect other people's privacy
     • Don't abuse your power
     • Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
   • Digital citizenship
     • Be kind and considerate
     • Everything you post online is permanent
     • Give proper credit to sources
     • Don't spread fake news
     • Use caution when clicking links or downloading files.
     • Report cyberbullies to parents or teachers.
     • Get permission before sharing information or pictures about others.
     • Never agree to meet an on-line friend in person, always ask your parent first.
     • DON’T SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION ON-LINE
     • CREATE A STRONG PASSWORD AND KEEP IT PRIVATE

4. Digital footprint

   • A digital foot print is virtual picture of you based on your online activity. Digital footprint could be permanent if companies keep your data or other screen grab your posts.
   • You have a right to consent to what is and isn’t shared on the internet. You also have a responsibility to remember that you need permission before sharing information and pictures about other people.
   • Think before you post
     • If you didn’t know you, what would you think of your post?
     • Are you happy to lose control of this post, once you post it people can share it without you knowing.
     • Are you over sharing? Do you want people to know this about you?
     • Do you have the person whose information or picture you are sharing’s permission to do so? Would you want it shared if it was you?
     • THE BILLBOARD, would you be happy for your post to be shared on a billboard for all of your school, family and friends to see.
     • If you answer NO to any of these questions then reconsider the post.