TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – April 2019, volume 18 issue 2

Digital Citizenship: A Theoretical Review of the Concept and Trends
Dr. Cristina Hennig Manzuoli
Doctor en Educación y Sociedad, Profesor investigador, Centro de Tecnologías para la Academia, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus
Universitario del Puente del Común Autopista Norte, km 7, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia
cristinahm@unisabana.edu.co & cristina.hennig2@unisabana.edu.co

Mg. Ana Vargas Sánchez
Mg. Erika Duque Bedoya
ABSTRACT
This article aims to analyze the concepts and tendencies identified in research conducted on digital citizenship in
the last ten years. To satisfy this objective, search parameters were established for articles in specialized
databases. Within the results, the prevailing categories were concepts, abilities, empowerment, instruments,
programs and technologies that favor digital citizenship. The main findings include that different definitions
exist of the concept of digital citizenship and that information and communication technologies contribute to
access to information, though not equally at the global level. Additionally, digital citizenship is promoted by
different initiatives such as programs focused on citizen participation. Thus, research focused on digital
citizenship adopts a transcultural perspective in educational, social, public and private arenas.
Keywords: digital citizenship, education, technology, knowledge society, empowerment
1. INTRODUCTION
The Internet is a medium that boosts intercommunication and interconnection, which has led us to consider new
forms of relating to one another in society. This phenomenon has been link to the cultural aspects of societies
since the mid-20th century, prompting calls for the importance of reflecting on, considering and strengthening
the implementation of digital citizenship in different educational, business and social settings (Sancho,
Hernández and Rivera, 2016).
Consequently, several theorists (Arif, 2016; Ortega-Gabriel, 2015 Sanabria & Cepeda, 2016; Gorman, 2015;
Simsek & Simsek, 2013; Waikato Diocesan School for Girls, 2015, cited in Gorman, 2015; Sullivan, 2016) have
focused on defining digital citizenship, what digital citizenship implies, its effects or benefits on society and,
more importantly, what role should be assumed by individuals participating in digital citizenship.
However, given the amount of information and numerous perspectives on the issue, it is difficult to identify a
single focus or to unify concepts. Similarly, it is unclear which aspects definitively constitute digital citizenship
as well as which aspects should be strengthened.
In addition, researchers have made evident the digital divide in society, that at present the policies established by
the governments have not been able to cover. With deficit in aspects such as infrastructure, connectivity, among
others (Searson, Hancock, Soheil, Shepherd, 2015). Consequently, seeks to deepen on these items. As, it seeks to
focus on not so clear points and prospective for future research on digital citizenship.
The use of technologies in social life has created inconveniences and problems that remain difficult to
understand from academic and policy perspectives, such as cyberbullying, sexting and grooming, which have
reached the point of permeating scholarly and work environments, moving beyond the borders of the personal.
From this fact stems the motivation to analyze the theoretical and practical research conducted on digital
competency within the last ten years.
Some systematic reviews on digital citizenship have addressed aspects such as digital literacy (1980 -1998)
(Hivon & Titah, 2017) and digital skills (2000-2016 English language) (Hintz & Brown, 2017). This
comprehensive review updates the revisions to deepen the conception and current state of digital citizenship.
2. METHOD
To perform a systematic review (SR) of the scientific literature, phases and tools were established to gather
information.
First, the tools for gathering information in the selected databases were established to delimit the selection
criteria for relevant articles. Second, tools were determined for organizing the information gathered, which
enabled tagging and classifying the articles in a systematic manner. In addition, the scope, characteristics and
conclusions of each article were determined based on the research question, as described next.
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