BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND ACTION: DIGITAL COMMUNICATION ETHICS AND CIVIC LITERACY ON SOCIAL MEDIA AMONG GENERATION Z AT SMAN 1 CISAAT

Abstract

This study examines the gap between students’ theoretical understanding and their actual behavior regarding digital communication ethics and civic literacy in online spaces, with a particular focus on Generation Z students at SMAN 1 Cisaat, Sukabumi. The rapid spread of social media has fundamentally reshaped how young citizens engage in civic life, while simultaneously confronting them with ethical dilemmas that demand coherence between normative awareness and real-world digital conduct. Using a qualitative case study design, this research traces how Grade XI students make sense of, internalize, and put into practice the principles of civic literacy in their daily digital lives especially on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp. Twenty-four students from twelve classes (XI-1 to XI-12) participated in the study, with two students per class selected through purposive sampling based on their level of social media engagement and their willingness to take part. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews, direct observation of participants’ online interactions, and analysis of relevant documents. The findings point to a notable discrepancy between students’ stated understanding of digital communication ethics  including issues such as hoax dissemination, hate speech, and civil online discourse and how they actually behave in digital environments. Several interrelated factors appear to sustain this gap: the strong pull of peer group dynamics, the tendency of platform algorithms to amplify emotionally provocative content, and the insufficient embedding of civic digital ethics within existing citizenship education frameworks. This study contends that civic literacy in the digital era must be understood not merely as a matter of factual knowledge, but as something that encompasses dispositional formation and the capacity for critical, reflective thinking. The findings carry practical implications for the development of Pancasila and Citizenship Education (PKn) curricula at the senior secondary level, and contribute to the growing scholarly conversation around cultivating responsible digital citizens in the Indonesian context.