Week 7 - My Framework for Digital Engagement

I would describe my personal framework for ethical digital engagement as being similar to the laws of being a digital citizen. I feel that if you're interacting with someone in a virtual environment it is essential to treat them as you would like to be treated. Everyone making comments on a website, browsing or roaming in a digital space is a person and it's essential to treat them as such.


Digital citizenship refers to the responsible use of technology. It's also about thinking critically about what you see on the internet, communicating respectfully and being safe. Mark Ribble developed a framework of three main principals in becoming a digital citizen along with nine themes. The principals are comprised of being safe, savvy, and social. 1 Safety refers to protecting yourself and others online from potentially harmful tools on the internet. Savvy is the idea of making educated judgments and connecting with others. Finally, social is respecting yourself and other digital citizens by being civil and considerate of other people's views. I find that the concept of digital citizenship happens to line up with the way that I engage with people in a digital environment both within this module and in other online spaces. I would rather use technology as a way to ethically communicate ideas as opposed to using it as a tool to hurt others.

If anyone can be a responsible citizen, they can also be a responsible digital citizen. [Image source - ED 508 Technology]

Cyberbullying is a problem for all ages.
[Image Source - The Irish Times]

I feel that some people take advantage of the anonymity online to insult certain people or communities online. According to a 2017 Ditch the Label survey comprised of 10,020 young people aged 12-20 in the UK, 17% of the survey takers had experienced cyberbullying. As a result of this, 41% developed social anxiety and 37% developed depression. 2 In another survey done by Pew Research Center in 2014 revealed that 73% of adults have witnessed online abuse and 40% have been victims of it. 3 It is shocking to see these statistics, it goes to show that online harassment is a problem for all ages, not just teenagers as commonly assumed. I think that more than ever, it is essential to practice ethical digital engagement to help others who might need it. It is also important to protect ourselves from this as well as being aware of our own actions no matter who we're talking to online.


The majority of the time, in a virtual environment I don't know the people there in real life or how they look like, but I treat them the same way I would as if they were a stranger in my town or my campus. Being a good citizen in real life entails being respectful and responsible which holds true for digital citizenship as well. For example, when participating in this module I act the same way as I would a real-life class. I try my best to be polite and participate as much as I can. I listen to and respect other people's opinions. I wouldn't send a disrespectful private message to someone for having a different opinion to my own, the same way I also wouldn't say an unpleasant comment in real life if I disagreed with someone's opinion. I also try to help others as best as I can such as sticking up for people who I feel need it or privately messaging friends and giving them advice with regard to problems with online harassment. Behind every screen is a person and it's essential to treat them as such.

It's important to be respectful of everyone whether it be in real life or in a virtual environment. [Image Source - International Adviser]

I strive to act the way the same way in a virtual environment as I would in person. I try to be safe and not to visit places that might have malicious content and try to inform others to do the same when the opportunity arises. I practice being savvy by connecting with others no matter regardless of their age, gender, nationality, etc. and using common sense as I would in real life. Finally, I am social by respecting myself, but also anyone that I might encounter online. Ultimately, I feel that I can improve even more especially regarding helping others as I feel that I in some situations I should reach out more. I believe that ethical digital engagement is more important than ever especially with the rise of cyberbullying. I feel that it needs to be stressed more in society, not just in schools to inform people of the effects and how it can be prevented. While I am only one person in a sea of billions, I will continue to follow my digital framework and improve it as much as I can over time.

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1 Ribble, Mark, 'Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship', https://www.digitalcitizenship.net/nine-elements.html 

2 Ditch the Label, 'The Annual Bullying Survey 2017', 2017, 23-25, https://www.ditchthelabel.org/research-papers/the-annual-bullying-survey-2017/ 

3 Duggan, Maeve, 'Online Harassment', 22 October 2014, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2014/10/22/online-harassment/