Guest writer, David Lukic, recently shared tips on how to become a good digital citizen in the Princh Library Blog.
What is Digital Citizenship?
The digital world is a future dimension where people interact virtually on all aspects of careers, education, and social life. Digital citizenship is our behavior in that world, including how we treat data, other people, and our participation and contributions. There are new rights and responsibilities involved, including some around potential data breaches.
Balance and self-policing
Being online for work or school at any time of day or night can lead to burnout. It’s important to set boundaries and to add self-care to the mix to avoid stress-related issues. Be sure to incorporate breaks such as going outside for a walk, setting periods of blackout time when devices are offline, and pursuing activities that are disconnected from the internet, such as cooking, reading books, playing basketball, or creative hobbies.
Respect
Along with respecting your body’s need for downtime, remember to take a step back and consider the individuals you are interacting with online, including those who facilitate your work or learning. The nature of online work and school tends to excite people, elevating stress. We all need to take a step back from the anonymity of computers and consider how people are likely to receive what we are saying or communicating. Criticism should be tempered with humility and used sparingly.
Responsibility
Digital citizenship is a right and a privilege. Each person participating should know (or make a point to learn) the appropriate settings when being included in an online group, to enter with a positive attitude of respect, and to treat the contributions of others (including materials accessible through online libraries) with deference.
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