Final Blog Post

So it is finals week and our assignment is to say if our idea of being a digital citizen is the same from when we first entered the class.

My post said that we all have a responsibility as digital citizens to watch what we say because what we say and what we do can effect others. I also said that we are all connected. The digital world makes us so. I could communicate with someone in Russia or China, when before it would be a huge deal to communicate with someone that far away from me. (I live in the U.S).

That was our first class. Now it’s our last and I have to say it that my ideas of digital citizenship is pretty much the same. Some of the things I could add is that one could potentially use the digital world to spread news about something or promote themselves to get a job. The use of the internet can be used in ways that, I’m pretty sure, the original creators never dreamed of. They probably never thought that people would build communities on the internet or start organizations.

For instance, I have a friend who used to live in the United States. She recently moved back to Russia. We still talk very often. In fact, I think we talk about everyday. We don’t email, but we’ll tag each other on posts in instagram, or Facebook, send videos or text through snap chat, Skype, and we even have a group messenger on Facebook to talk with each other and a few more of our friends. Even though she is hundreds of miles away from me I feel closer to her now because we talk so much. Before I never thought I would be able to keep in tough with someone half way across the world. Now I find myself feeling closer to this person. I even have a friend in Germany who I keep in tough with too. We send letters to each other and care packages, but if we ever move or are at our parents house (we are both students) we Facebook each other and tell each other where we are. Facebook turned out to be a great way to keep in touch just in case our mail was lost or we didn’t know where each other was living.

People also build communities through social media. My Russian friend started her own makeup account on instagram and YouTube. Through her account she started to get to know people who were also in the makeup blogging world. If I wasn’t close to her I would have no idea that there was even such a thing as that. She has grown close to these people and shares their accounts on her page as well. My friend has also gotten to know these people more through their accounts and has built a friendship. A friendship she would have never known if she had never started her account.

I guess digital citizenship means to me now is that there is more to social media and the internet than just goofing around. It is a place to build a community, to build organizations, to start events or protests, to find knowledge, to advance ones career, or to starts something based on a hobby. What ever it is,it’s coming for you.

Here is my friends account if you want to check it out on instagram: @nushadoesmakeup