Why I Founded a Digital Citizenship Company — and How This Concept Can Change Our World
Citizenship is a concept that has been discussed as far back as Ancient Rome — and has three main dimensions:
- The first is the legal status of being a citizen, defined by rights, where the citizen is a legal person free to act according to the law, and in turn, enjoys the law’s protection.
- The second dimension is citizenship as a political agent — someone who actively participates in the society’s political institutions.
- The third is the most obscure, psychological dimension of citizenship, which deals with a sense of belonging to a community.
There has been a lot of philosophical discussion around citizenship, with renewed interest in the last thirty years. Two main models of citizenship exist:
- One focuses on the political agency of the citizen.
- The other focuses on citizenship as a legal status, where citizens enjoy legal protection but rarely exercise their political agency to shape their society.
In the physical world, the latter is more common. But in the digital world, digital citizenship is still young and offers many opportunities to empower citizens to shape the “digital society.”
Becoming a Citizen
People are shaped by the values and moral unity of their society. Initially, these values come from family, then they are reinforced in schools, sports teams, religious environments, etc. Gender roles, societal roles, and schemas are programmed into us — here’s how to behave in this situation, here’s what to do in that one. When a citizen breaks the law, they break the social contract — the trust between them and society. Consequences exist not only to punish but also to set an example. These consequences feel real and affect our reputations, future, and social standing.
Now, enter the Internet: a society of its own — with few laws and no clear governing body. Initially, the Internet was designed to be a space where all forms of expression were allowed. It assumed the active political agent model of citizenship, where online users would self-govern and carry the moral responsibilities from the physical world into their online interactions.
But something else happened. The comfort of an alias and avatar provided a home for some of the most vile human behaviors. The most common examples are cyberbullying and online toxicity, often targeting specific groups based on identity. Self-governance has proven insufficient, and while anonymity is slowly disappearing, there are still few consequences for bad behavior online. The damage is often private, even if harassment is public. Unlike a broken window or stolen car, the evidence is subtle. Microaggressions are shrugged off, toxic behaviors passed off as jokes, and cyberbullying is under-reported. If you can’t handle the “banter,” you’re labeled as “soft.”
Grassroots Digital Communities
So what do we do? Police the Internet? Or should we take a grassroots approach and build supportive digital communities that foster citizenship, empower identity and expression, and create a sense of safety?
When I founded ÉLEVEY, I focused on four C’s that are foundational to digital citizenship for me: cyberetiquette, cyberbalance, cyberwellness and cybersecurity. Our first step was creating a collection of clothing that mixes art and gaming to spread a message about positivity and growth.
ÉLEVEY is a digital citizenship company that aims to attract and empower people who want to be themselves online, raise each other up, and cultivate an inclusive online experience. Built on mutual trust, these communities have the power to change someone’s online experience — that’s what we’re after. One positive digital experience at a time, we want to normalize integrity and equality. This starts with moderated communities, open and difficult conversations, and fair, consistent consequences.
As we move into the next phase of ÉLEVEY, I’d love to hear your thoughts on digital citizenship and how we can make a difference.
