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WHAT IS IT TO BE A CITIZEN?

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What is it to be a Citizen?
Katherine Turpin
Arizona State University - BIS340
January 19, 2019
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What is it to be a Citizen?
How to you gain and hold citizenship? What does it actually mean to be a citizen?

Matthew Desmond states, “Home is where children find safety and security, where we find our

identities, where citizenship starts. It usually starts with believing that you’re part of a

community, and that is essential to having a stable home” (Desmond, n.d.). I think this is a great

statement and so very true. However, there is so much more to citizenship and being a citizen.

Citizenship is such a topic of controversy these days. People putting up walls and

creating laws to keep people out of their country. Why not just teach them the right way to go

about it? Teach them what is necessary to become a citizen and what is expected of you as a

citizen. So, in order to do that we would need to know what citizenship entails. Let’s teach

someone what citizenship is, how to become a citizen, and what it means to be a citizen.

What is Citizenship?

So, what is citizenship? Ohler refers to it as “membership in that state” and says that

“Citizenship is tied to community” (Ohler, 2010, p. 28 & 36). The state and community that

Ohler refers to would be your nation and such. Anderson, when speaking of nation and

community states:

“The nation is imagined as limited…encompassing perhaps a billion living human

beings…beyond which lie other nations…imagined as a community, because, regardless

of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always

conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship” (Anderson, 2016, p.7).

This is a good explanation but a little bit complicated. Let’s look at it in a little plainer terms.
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Citizenship is a collection of rights and responsibilities that one holds when they are a

citizen of a nation, country, city, community, and so many other areas including the digital

world. Physical citizenship (meaning citizenship of a nation, country, city, etc.) comes with three

areas of rights and responsibilities according to Ohler’s book. These areas are civic, political, and

social (Ohler, 2010, p. 33). What do each one of these entail? Well, civic rights and

responsibilities include “personal freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, thought, faith, the right

to justice, own property, (and) to contract with others” (Ohler, 2010, p. 33). Does that sound

familiar to you? It should because most of these, for us that live in the United States of America,

are rights that are listed in our Constitution. The political rights and responsibilities that you have

involve having “the right to participate in the political process” and actually doing so (Ohler,

2010, p. 33). Citizens of the United States have this right and many of them doing not

participate. Now, it is your right to participate, which also I guess comes with the right not to

participate, but it is also a responsibility that comes with being a citizen. The last area of physical

citizenship is social and entails “the right to live a civilized life being in accordance with the

standards prevailing in society” (Ohler, 2010, p. 33). So, you have the right to live your life

civilly amongst others in the community while following the laws and expectations of the land.

Doesn’t seem hard does it?

Now, with the technological advancements of today, one must consider digital citizenship

and what it entails as well. Digital citizenship is similar to physical citizenship but on a whole

different plane of things. The digital world is a much different playing field, or rather a whole
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new world, than the physical/real world. Digital citizenship comes with rights and

responsibilities as well. You have the right to use the digital communities to socialize, research,

conduct business, and so much more. Your responsibilities include having respect for the other

people online. You must know and follow the rules and regulations online. You must be aware

and cautious when it comes to safeguarding your privacy online. Ohler states, “Once in a digital

community, trust but verify” (Ohler, 2010, p. 63). Always be wary of anything that doesn’t seem

quite right because it probably isn’t right. My motto is that if you find something that is

dangerous to your privacy, make sure that you let others know to beware as well. Being in the

digital community is a right but it comes with responsibilities as well. Be a good digital citizen

and help others on their journey as well.

How to become a citizen

There is a process that one must go through when becoming a physical citizen. This

process can vary from place to place. The best example that I can give is something that you

must do to become a citizen of the United States. There is a naturalization test that you must take

and pass with at least a 60% in order to become a citizen ("USCIS - Civics Test Introduction",

2019). This test is comprised of questions pertaining to the nation’s history as well as current

government and processes. There is a practice test that you can take to make sure that you have

studied correctly and know all of the necessary information. I was born a citizen of this country

and don’t need to take this test but took the practice test to see how I did. I got an 80% on the

test. I would have passed this requirement to become a citizen of the United States.
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So how does one become a digital citizen? According to ITSE one must first create an

identity and manage not only that identity but also reputation by watching and always being

aware of your actions and their effect in the digital world (ITSE, para. 3). These actions have a

level of permanence that can be good or also can have very damaging effects. ITSE also states

that your behaviors online must be safe, legal, positive, and ethical (ITSE, para. 4). By watching

your online behaviors and making sure they are correct you will not only stay safe, but also

maintain a positive reputation and image. Thirdly you must always make sure that you

understand the rights and responsibilities of using the intellectual property while always

demonstrating respect (ITSE, para. 5). Lastly, ITSE states that in order to be a digital citizen you

must manage your personal data and make sure that you are always maintaining a level of

privacy and security while in the digital world (ITSE, para. 6). These are some really good

guidelines to follow. ITSE has laid out a good pathway for people that want to be good digital

citizens to follow. My advice would be to follow it closely while enjoying your digital

citizenship.

What it means to be a citizen

What does it mean to be a citizen in the physical world? Ohler offers some answers for

this question. You, as a citizen, should have virtuous behavior, balance personal empowerment

and community well being (Ohler, 2010, p. 33-34). To be a citizen you must educate yourself

and participate in social, political, and community events (Ohler, 2010, p. 34). One of the biggest

parts of being a citizen is being a part of your community. This is different for each and every

person. There are so many different ways that you can accomplish this. You can perform
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community service, go to events held by the community, etcetera. Whatever you can do to be a

good citizen and help your community solidifies you and your citizenship in that community.

Being a digital citizen is very similar to being a physical citizen. There are the same basic

principles just simply on a different field. The ISTE Student Standards state that in order to be a

digital citizen you must, "recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living,

learning, and working in an interconnected digital world, and you act and model in ways that are

safe, legal, and ethical" (ITSE, para. 2). In other words, enjoy your life in the digital world, but

do it safely, respectfully, and ethically. Be a model citizen in the digital world just as you would

in the physical world.

In conclusion, yes, there is a lot to citizenship and being a citizen. The rights and

responsibilities that come with being a citizen physically and digitally are important.

Understanding that citizenship is living your life to it’s fullest in a community while upholding

your duties and expectations as a citizen is vital. Rules and regulations are there to keep you and

others safe and happy. Do what you need to do. Accomplish what you need to accomplish. The

what you ask? Live your life as a citizen happily ever after.
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References

Anderson, B. (2016). Imagined communities. Brooklyn: Verso.

Desmond, M. Citizenship Quotes - BrainyQuote. Retrieved from

https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/citizenship

ISTE | Standards For Students. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

Ohler, J. (2010). Digital community, digital citizen. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

USCIS - Civics Test Introduction. (2019). Retrieved from https://my.uscis.gov/prep/test/civics

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