As we’ve theorized before, we could consider the definition of digital citizenship as “The quality of habits, actions, and consumption patterns that impact the ecology of digital content and communities.”
One very natural and accessible way to see that kind of thinking in action is twitter.
In contrast to relatively closed social media platforms like facebook or Google+, where you’re more or less confined to your chosen network, twitter users are exposed to the thinking, responses, dialogue, and general interactions of a variety of people.
When you choose to respond to a tweet, you automatically become part of a larger conversation–you see other responses, and everyone else that responds after you can see your response as well. That doesn’t mean they’ll read it or care, nor will you necessarily read other responds and respond in kind to them. But the way twitter works automatically makes interactions not just social, but public (and there’s a difference).
The use of #hashtags also changes things. By clicking on a #hashtag, you can watch every comment, respond, tweet, and RT from every single twitter user whether you follow them or not–and in real-time.
Further you can follow how that topic is trending–or even more advanced analytics–to really, truly see “what everyone is talking about” (on twitter anyway)–which is what happened here during the Super Bowl.
This openness and easy mass-communication between strangers, along the natural aggregation and curation of messages, makes twitter a wonderful proving grounds for digital citizenship. (Another possibility? Closed forum-like platforms like reddit.)
Below are 10 #hashtags that you can follow to not just practice digital citizenship, but follow it for content, ideas, and resources as well, and ultimately join the conversation yourself. Oh–and show your own digital citizenship by letting us know in the comments section what we missed.
Also, we’ve added these to our larger list on our Hashtags for Teachers guide.
10 Digital Citizenship Hashtags To Join The Conversation
- #digitalcitizenship
- #edtech
- #edtechchat
- #privacy
- #21stedchat
- #digcit
- #parenting
- #ettipad
- #internetsafety
- #cyberbullying
10 Digital Citizenship Hashtags To Join The Conversation