Digital Citizenship Competence: Initiating Ethical Guidelines and Responsibilities for Digital Citizens

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic, which has lasted more than a year, has drastically changed the way people interact. Before the pandemic, daily activities such as communicating, shopping, studying, and even civic engagement were mostly done through direct interaction. However, during a pandemic, when physical activity decreases, digital
interactions become more dominant. Unfortunately not everyone is ready for all the openness and infinity in the digital space. Many people stumble into digital problems that ignore digital ethics and responsibility. Several literatures describe digital citizenship as a behavioral norm related to the use of technology. This interpretation
was chosen because this definition is the most salient standard in education. To strengthen the conception of digital citizenship, digital citizenship competence is needed as a guideline for ethics and the responsibility of citizens in interacting in the digital world. This literature study describes broadly the digital citizenship competencies
developed by several reputable international institutions. We recommend the five competencies of digital citizenship as a guide for digital ethics and responsibility which consists of; Digital citizenship identity, Privacy and security management, Right and responsibility, Digital Empathy, and Active and engaged. The ability to master digital
citizenship competencies is an early indicator that a person is considered capable and ready to become a responsible, orderly, and effective digital citizen.

Keyword: Digital citizenship, Competence, Ethics, Responsibilities, Digital citizen