Radical Digital Citizenship

Although, I am not well-versed on this topic and found this reading to be quite challenging I found the article to be quite interesting. I am coming close to finishing my degree in elementary education and I found that this article to be relevant to my future career. Specifically, how technology and the internet are used as social platforms.

New opportunities for social protest is the part of this article that really caught my attention. “Social movement theorist Manuel Castells (2012) claims that we have witnessed a global epochal shift to a network society, implying that hegemonic power lies with those who control, programme and connect dominant networks” (Emejulu & McGregor, 2019). In my education training and schooling, I have learned a lot about dominant and disruptive narratives and this section of the article brought my learning full circle.

Another quote that resonates with me is, “constructing technology as innocent or neutral misunderstands the social relations of technology and its very real material consequence in our social world” (Emejulu & McGregor, 2019).  I think I resonate with this quote because I agree with it 100%. Having access and having the capability to post to the internet and other social platforms depending on what you post/share may or may not have consequences.

Additionally, I liked how this article brings up Black Lives Matter and the political side of the internet and social media. Black Lives Matter uses social matter as a platform to spread awareness in a positive manner. When thinking about social media mixing with politics we often don’t see or think of it as being positive.