5 Fluencies of Information

There are five fluencies related to digital citizenship:

• Information fluency
• Solution fluency
• Creativity fluency
• Media fluency
• Collaboration fluency

Applying information fluency skills to the Animal Planet mermaid documentaries, I concluded the following:

1.    Purpose of the site and series:

 Despite the appearance of scientific research and historic ‘evidence’ associated with the mermaid theory, I think that the purpose of the website and series is to promote awareness of the Animal Plant channel and the importance of protecting marine life in general.

2.    The Information Fluency Process:

The information fluency process consists of 5 phases: Ask, acquire, analyse, apply and assess.

Ask:

This entails asking meaningful questions.

• What is the purpose of the website?

• Why mermaids and not another mythical creature?

• Is it really true?

Acquire:

This step of the process involves investigating the questions asked in the previous steps.

• I watched all the videos and accordingly decided what the purpose of the website was.

• I believe that Animal Planet selected mermaids as it makes it more personal. We tend to have more empathy with humans or human-like animals.

• I have not decided whether it is true or not, I need a bit more evidence before I form an opinion about this subject.

Analyse:

This step in the process compares information gathered from various sources.

• I watched other videos available on YouTube in addition to the videos available on the website and read an additional newspaper article, (Newling, 2012).

Apply:

This is the phase where the solution is implemented. As there is no problem, the application is not clear.

Assess:

In this phase the user looks at the application of the solution to the problem. As there was no problem, what needs to be assessed is not clear.

3. Public Response

Considering feedback on the Animal Planet website, I think it is a fifty-fifty response. There are individuals that are very sceptical and others that are convinced that mermaids are real. Justin Peters stated that he felt the entire project was a waste of resources and time, whereas others feel betrayed that there was no clear indication that the footage was not real, while others are convinced that mermaids are real and more conclusive proof will be found in future.

4. Veracity of the Series

It is difficult to comment on the veracity of the Animal Planet Mermaids series. At the time that it was marketed, I did not watch T.V. however it does seem that there was a lot of time and money that went into the promotion of the series. After a few general Google searches using Mermaids and Animal Planet along with other terms, resulted in a more negative outlook on the series and the channel. Words like “hoax” and “fake” appearing among the search results.

5. Was the series a success or failure?

Whether the campaign was a success or failure, is hard to say. It is not clear what the intention behind the campaign was. If the intention was to encourage people to believe in mermaids, I would say that it was not too successful. In all the videos I watched there was a hint at the ‘evidence’ being made up. If the intention was to create curiosity and to encourage people to question what they see on television, I would say that it was successful.

To decide for yourself, take a look at the website: http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/mermaids

Digital Footprint

According to a post on www.internetsociety.org, a digital footprint is your online history on any form of social media. Common sense media states that your digital footprint can be searched, copied, shared, broadcasted and is more importantly it is permanent. Consider what kind of footprint you want to leave.

(www.commonsensemedia.org)

9 Elements of Digital Citizenship

According to Digiteen (2014), the nine elements of digital citizenship can be grouped as indicated below, as quoted in the 2015 Digital Citizenship Module Manual, p22.

In addition to the grouping of these elements by Digiteen, they can also be grouped in terms of the following verbs: respect, educate and protect, (Ribble, 2014). Above the colours indicate the relevant categorical grouping as set out be Ribble.

In order to understand the cross-functional or cross-application nature of these elements, each element will be discussed in detail.

Digital Access

Technology should be accessible by everyone, (Brownell). Considering the Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship as explained on www.digitalcitizenship.net , it is stated that digital access is “full electronic participation in society”. Both sources suggest that various socio-economic factors influence the possibility of this greatly.

Creating the opportunity for “equal digital rights and supporting electronic access” is one of the aims of digital citizenship. The term digital exclusion has been coined to describe those individuals who do not have adequate access to technology, (Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, 2015).

Digital Communication

Digital communication can be briefly defined as the exchange of information via an electronic medium, (Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, 2015). This exchange can take place over various platforms, cell phone, email, instant messaging, etc. however the large number of platforms may confuse users, (Brownell).

Digital communication ties in with digital etiquette and literacy that are discussed later in this document. To try and limit the high level of confusion and reduce the risk of overwhelming the users, they should be educated to a degree where they understand the uses, limitations, implications and responsibilities associated with the use of the various communication platforms.

Digital Literacy

Digital literacy can be defined as the “process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology”, (Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, 2015). This implies that digital citizens are responsible for educating themselves in terms of the various technologies available and to understand what their resulting responsibilities are, when making use of these technologies.

Various elements must be taken into account when contemplating the concept of digital literacy. Students must be taught the history of technological development, they must be educated by means of and educated in terms of the latest technologies. The divide between the practical application and theory of technologies should be considered and student material should be developed accordingly in order to ensure a high level of digital literacy when the student enters the work place.

Digital Etiquette

Digital etiquette is defined as the standards or procedures for electronic interaction/ conduct, (Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, 2015). The implication is much more than just the language to use when communication electronically. It has unfortunately become the norm to actively communicate electronically regardless of the current situation.

It has become evident that rules and policies regarding digital etiquette are no longer enough, inappropriate digital conduct must be addressed as it occurs. This will reduce the high number of individuals that disregard the social implications of inadequate digital etiquette.

Digital Safety and Security

Digital safety and security refers to ″electronic precautions to guarantee safety″. Safety in this sense refers to the individuals’ physical and virtual safety. Accordingly, it has become necessary to create both physical and virtual barriers in order to reduce or limit the risk individuals’ face in both environments.

In terms of the digital environment defenses such as firewalls, intrusion detection software, virus protection, data backups and surge control in order to ensure that information is safeguarded, (Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, 2015).

Digital Rights and Responsibilities

Digital rights refer to the freedoms extended to every individual in the digital world. Accordingly, digital responsibilities refer to the responsibilities of every individual in the digital world, (Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, 2015).

As stated by J. Hector Fezandie (The Moral Influence of a Scientific Education, 1984), and later again by Ben Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man film, ″With great power comes great responsibility″. This remains true as all digital citizens have the right to freedom of speech and privacy, with various other rights depending on the country within which the individual acts as a digital citizen, but along with these various rights each digital citizen has a greater responsibility towards the digital community to act within these rights while not infringing the rights of other digital citizens.

Digital Law

Digital law refers to the electronic responsibility for an individual’s actions and deeds, whether acting alone or on behalf of/ in accordance with another, (Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, 2015).

Digital Commerce

Digital commerce refer to the electronic interaction of a transactional nature, generally involving the exchange of resources within an electronic medium, (Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, 2015). As for the digital citizen, the digital business also has rights and responsibilities within the digital environment and must adhere to the digital law in order to create a safe and secure environment for a digital consumer to interact with the business.

Digital Health and Wellness

Digital health and wellness can be defined as the physical and psychological well-being of individuals within a digital environment, (Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, 2015). The focus is mainly on safeguarding the wellness of children that use the Internet.