Common Courtesy in a Digital Age

As our world shifts to the digital age, so must our ideals towards technology and listening the product we either produce and put online or borrow from someone else (only after using proper citations, of course!).

One thing that has become prominent is Digital Citizenship. In a nutshell, this can be seen as the appreciate and responsible ways people behavior on the internet. As technology becomes readily available at our fingertips, so do mass amounts of other contents. Images or text that is placed on the internet never truly goes away and it is impossible to completely erase your presence on the internet. For that reason, people need to be cautious of what they are placing on the web, while keeping in mind the repercussions that might be hiding around the corner.

To help people think about the ways their internet behavior is impacting themselves, others, and society as a whole, there are nine themes of digital citizens. Those themes are: digital access; digital commerce; digital communication; digital literacy; digital etiquette; digital law; digital rights and responsibilities; digital health and wellness; and digital security. Through article posted above, I heard the term “internet addiction” for the first time. I realize that that particular concept should not be new or surprising, but I have never heard it laid out in those sorts of terms. When one thinks of an addiction, it is usually along the lines of drug use or alcohol. It’s interesting to me that being on your computer too long/too often/too much is not considered an addiction.

Another thing I found interesting about this article was its discussion on digital law. Just as it is illegal to intentionally cause damage to others in new articles, it is also illegal to intentionally attempt to damage someone’s reputation over the internet. Causing damage to a person, their work, identity or property is a crime and something that people might not realize or even consider. Being ethical on the internet can sometimes slip someone’s mind when they are able to type (say) whatever they want without seeing that person face-to-face or in the moment.

Along with the ways in which our ideas about the internet have changed, so have the ways in which we are able to license information and ideas. Through the creation of creative commons, individuals are now able to license their products in a way that allows others to use it so long as they give the original owner credit. People can also license their products so that people may share them so long as they are not making money off of it or altering it in anyway. Through the three layers of licenses, individuals are able to get as much protection (or as little) so they would like for their product they are looking to share and open for public consumption. These licenses have different spectrums that can range from the original owner having to be credited, the image having to be linked back to the original, the new user of the image having the same licenses, or the image not being permitted to be altered or tweaked in any way.

I know that description can be difficult to understand, so I have attached a video from the creative common website to help better explain this process.

Video courtesy of Creative Commons website and YouTube

Creative commons is an amazing insight into the ways of the licensing and consumption that goes behind images, texts, and ideas as they are placed onto the internet. To get a better idea of what a licensed image actually looks like (and how to find one), I’m going to describe how you can change your Google settings to see which imagines are covered under creative commerce. When you are on the main Google search page, by clicking on “settings,” you can do to “advanced search.” Once there, at the bottom of the screen, you will find a section about usage rights. This will allow you to search for images that are “free to use and share” (which is what I am going to click on now, as I search for photos of kittens). When you are searching under Google images, it will label the section underneath the bar as “labeled for noncommercial reuse.” This message is a simple way to make sure you are looking for photos that are actually available for consumption and reuse.

This photo is courtesy of Wikipedia, but found using the Google images search

Learning the various internal workings of the internet can be a daunting thing, but it is worth knowing to help you better understanding your rights both on and offline.

Cheers!