IS “NETIZENSHIP” THE NEW CITIZENSHIP?

With the discussion on citizenship still ongoing, a ‘new’ term seems to be gaining increasing attention. Netizen, a blend of the words internet and citizen, is used to describe a person who is actively involved in online communities or the internet in general and –like an active citizen– a netizen is more than just a user. The father of the term, Michael F. Hauben invented it as part of his pioneering work back in the mid-1990s and developed the concept of netizen to describe an internet user who both actively contributes towards the development of the net and acts as a citizen of the net and of the world.

Taking into consideration that 3.96 billion people currently use social media worldwide (up almost double from 2.07 billion in 2015), it makes one reflect on how netizenshiph as developed. Net society provides ample space for intellectual activity and information-sharing and, starting with the Covid-19 era, has improved digital skills even in the most hesitant among us. We all find ourselves actively engaged and heavily depended on the internet, social media andweb 2.0. We use a range of them to create, report, share and observe content whether for social, leisure or professional reasons. But do we ever consider our practices and their impact in this “Brave New World”?

What competencies for democratic “netizenship” do we need?

I read about Netizens in China’s censorship regime who have found ingenious ways to share information on Covid-19, organise help during the lockdown and express outrage over the government’s handling of the crisis. I am fascinated and deeply respectful of campaigns which created communities of Netizens to fight what the WHO has labelled the ‘infodemic’ – the spreading of false information and rumours resulting in fear and stigmatisation.

At the same time, I read about India’s devastating pandemic situation and the false hoods shared acrosssocial media about how cow urine can prevent Covid-19, how Muslims are meant to be responsible for spreading the virus or how Western media narratives make up death tolls.

What makes an internet user a responsible Netizen? What differentiates them from any other user? How can we, as educators, contribute to the effective management of the misinformation and disinformation that seem to prevail in our news feeds? What are the necessary competences to help us consume, understand, and react to information populating our resources? How do we prevent the failure of democracies around the world? Perhaps, once again, the answer lies in good education.

By Gelly Aroni