THE CRITICAL ROLE OF PRIVACY AND SAFETY KNOWLEDGE IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Keywords:
knowledge, digital literacy, skills, privacy, safety, online platformsAbstract
As the internet has become a ubiquitous part of our lives, concerns about online privacy and safety have grown exponentially. Understanding these concepts requires strong, widespread, and equally ubiquitous media literacy skills, to foster the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media messages across various digital media platforms and formats. Digital literacy also involves the ability to understand and ethically use the information and tools in digital environments.
This paper will address the importance of knowledge and skills concerning privacy and safety online, as presented through the comparative analysis of the research results from the survey conducted in April 2024 through an online questionnaire with the students at International Balkan University in Skopje, North Macedonia. These results are compared to the results from the Survey On Privacy In Media And Information Literacy With Youth Perspectives, done by Sherri Hope Culver and Alton Grizzle (2017).
We argue that educating and informing the public about the rules, regulations, and policies of online platforms, particularly those related to privacy and safety is crucial. It is also essential to ensure that users fully understand their rights and obligations when they agree to the 'terms and conditions' of any online platform.
References
Adjaip-Velichkovski, S. (2024). Privacy and safety online: Students perspective. KNOWLEDGE - International Journal. https://ikm.mk/ojs/index.php/kij/article/view/6902
Culver, S. & Grizzle, A. (2017). Survey On Privacy In Media And Information Literacy With Youth Perspectives. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Kraus, S., Jones, P., Kailer, N., Weinmann, A., Chaparro-Banegas, N., & Roig-Tierno, N. (2021). Digital Transformation: An Overview of the Current State of the Art of Research. Sage Open, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211047576
Laanpere, M, Helene, L., & Tammets, K. (2021), “Digital Competence Assessment Methods in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review”, School of Digital Technologies, Tallinn University, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia.
Miller, C. (2024). Writing for Digital Media, PAL Save press.
Potter, J. (2008). Media Literacy, 4th edition, SAGE publications, p. 32
Powell, L. (2023, September 11). The importance of online privacy in the digital age. Medium. https://medium.com/@th3Powell/the-importance-of-online-privacy-in-the-digital-age-c4e446fddb3e
Pangrazio, L., Godhe, A.-L., & Ledesma, A. G. L. (2020). What is digital literacy? A comparative review of publications across three language contexts. E-Learning and Digital Media, 17(6), 442-459. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753020946291
Quach, S., Thaichon, P., Martin, K.D. et al. (2022), Digital technologies: tensions in privacy and data. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 50, 1299–1323 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-022-00845-y
Vuorikari, R., Punie, Y., Carretero Gomez, S., Van den Brande, G. (2016), DigComp 2.0: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens. Update Phase 1: The Conceptual Reference Model, Luxembourg Publication Office of the European Union, p. 5-6.
