I recently participated in the “Responsible Digital Engagement” course that asked me basic yet questions I never thought about earlier. I do want to share what I learned so that they would be informed on this pertinent topic. However, I am not an expert in the subject matter, and instead of sharing the information and knowledge, I have questions for you all going through this post. These are questions that will help you understand your digital engagement a little bit better.
These questions are signposts that will help you find out more about the topics and issues. These questions are asked to trigger your thought process on issues/concerns that it often is overlooked for being too basic.
There are 14 questions I personally find important to understand where we stand in terms of digital engagement. If you don’t know the answer to any of these questions or have never thought of it before it’s a sign to look into it. There are many resources regarding this on the internet and if you need more information or resource I will try my best to assist. Be ready for some uncomfortable questions.
1. We all live in the age of information, where data expands exponentially every second. Do we know about it and understand how it functions? How much do you know about it?
A few years back when I watched a video of David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech on YouTube the following parable he referred to stayed with me.
"There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What the hell is water?”
This parable is more relevant than ever when we talk about data, information, and digital space. The key question we need to ask ourselves is how much we understand the digital space we engage with in everyday life? Are we the older dish or the young fish in digital space? What are you?? Ever thought of it???
2. Our digital world is a double-edged sword. How much do you know about Information vs. Fake news, propaganda, and disinformation trying to get to you?
The digital world can be “a boon and a bane” depending on how you use it or it uses you. There are good things as well as darker sides of the digital world. It's like a double-edged sword, if used with prudence it’s a weapon of great efficiency, but can harm the one in possession of it if now used wisely.
There is much we can accomplish in and from digital space but like everything else that exists, it has both good sides and bad sides. It is both boon and a bane, our personal experience can tell us what it has been for us.
We get easy access to information but are prone to misinformation, fake news, and propaganda. We get a platform but it can be used negatively or to cause harm. We will find almost anything we are looking for in the digital space, so we better know what and how to look for, for good of all.
3. Have you ever reflected on your own media consumption habit?
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
― Gandhi
Have you ever looked at your digital media consumption habit? Do you keep track of the time you spend on the internet? Are you habituated to internet use or is it still a conscious effort? I recently tracked my media consumption habit and I was surprised. If you haven’t done it already try it. It might tell you something about yourself that you haven’t noticed yet.
4. Are you a responsible user in the digital space?
We all know of someone who is responsible drivers, responsible drinkers, responsible beings, etc. There are indicators that we rely on to figure out and observe if someone is being responsible or not. We use digital space more often than we think we do. But do we seldom ask if we are being responsible digital space users? If you are reading this pause. Give it a thought if you are the responsible user in/of digital space. What makes you a user and if you know some abusers what makes them so.
Think of it. 
5. How reliable is social media platform as a source of news?
What is your source of news? Where do you seek the information you need? We all have seen tweets and posts about the death of celebrities who haven’t actually died. There is so much happening in social media and other digital platforms that at times it's hard to keep track of it. Even those amongst us who are most cautious fall victim to social media post that feeds misinformation.
Like we are concerned about what food we put in our bodies (I believe you do, if you don’t we have other pertinent things to talk about too) we need to screen what news gets to us and how we feed on information. Be sure you are being fed something factual and of quality, authenticity, reliability, and relevance.
6. Are you aware of Personalized Algorithms and Filter Bubbles in the digital space?
Lots have been discussed about the ‘Law of attraction’ and ‘Law of affirmation’ as part of spiritual discourse. However, these laws, or at least their essence is best reflected in how personalized algorithms and filter bubbles in digital space work.
Do you know what you see is curated based on what you are engaged within the digital world? It is like you wearing red glasses and seeing red everywhere. It's a skewed view. This is what the internet does to us, feeds us what we crave or engage with and gives us a bubble to be in.
If we do not understand and venture beyond personalized algorithms and filter bubbles we’ll be like blind men feeling the body of an elephant, characters from a famous parable.
7. How are we vulnerable and how we may put others in vulnerable positions on digital platforms?
When we interact and express ourselves, our opinions, and our ideas we open ourselves to vulnerability. You never know what response you are going to get. The same is true for digital engagement with a bit of twist, i.e. reach. Digital engagement has a prospective reach beyond our expectations at times. That makes us more vulnerable too. We are not just vulnerable with digital platforms with our content, we are also vulnerable due to several other factors such as internet safety and data privacy.
It is not personal in digital platforms because it's not just you, sometimes what we do, what we post, and how we engage may harm other people or put them in positions of risk and jeopardy. Have we ever thought of how vulnerable we are in digital space? We are concerned while walking dark alleys at night but many don’t bother in darker alleys in the digital world. Never forget how vulnerable we are on the internet.
8. Are you aware of information disorder?
Be careful of the information you have fetched from the internet. They may not be true. There are people misusing digital platforms for various reasons. if you do not know about information disorder, learn more about it to be more responsive to digital engagement.
9. Do you care what you share in the digital space?
We basically share digital space with others. What we share contributes to what digital space will be like and how that will impact others participating. Thus, we need to understand our obligation to care before sharing anything. We need to make sure we share something that adds positivity and value in an already overcrowded digital space.
Look back at what you have shared in digital space and reflect on why you shared it, you will know if you do it right or not if you do this honestly.
10. Are you secure in your digital space? Are your profiles and footprints in digital space safe?
Are your data and communication protected and discreet on digital platforms? Are your passwords strong? Are you confident that you cannot be the victim in digital space? What are the tools you use for your safety on the internet? How are you maintaining privacy when needed and secrecy when required?
It's better to be safe than sorry. Ask yourself and if you are not sure ask an expert. Staying safe on the internet is elementary for you to use it in a responsible manner.
11. How much are you invested in your digital wellness? Physical, mental, and emotional well-being?
Our engagement in the digital world has an impact on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, it can either be positive or negative or a bit of a mix of all. We need to understand where we are at with our digital well-being. In the digital world, we live in digital well-being is the priority.
We need to invest time in ensuring our physical, mental, and emotional well-being in being is not inversely affected by our digital engagement and we also need to take measures to ensure that we have information, tools, and practice to make us digitally well. Also, we need to work on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being in the digital space.
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12. Do you have instances where you’ve regretted your digital media engagement?
At times we regret what we say or do in our life. Similarly, I often regret some of my digital engagements, particularly those that trigger my emotions, beliefs, or biases. This happens so fast and in the heat of the moment that I look back and think that was uncalled for or unnecessary. Do you ever feel the same? If you do, it is time to process the digital engagement and take a pause and ask questions rather than engage as a reflex response.
I personally think we to revise this particular quote to fit with our digital engagement, “Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid.”
~“Before you engage in digital space (post something/have your say/share/react/response) ask yourself if what you are going to put out in digital space is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unposted.”
13. What determines your digital engagement habits?
Have you heard of an old parable, THE STORY OF TWO WOLVES?
[An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”]
It may sound like a paradox but your engagement habit determines your engagement habit in digital space. Be careful what you engage with, and understand you always have a choice. You are free to choose your engagement in digital space but understand there are consequences of your choice. Choose wisely.
14. Are you using digital space or is digital space using you?
Final question for the post, are you using digital space or digital space using you? Are you the consumer or the product? This may sound like an absurd question but give it a thought. Remember the time when you did not have access to digital space or were unaware of all of it. Think about how you use digital space. Is it still a conscious effort to use it? Do you see what you want to see or do you see what you are fed? Do you buy things you want to or things that are recommended to you based on algorithms?
In more brut terms, are you playing or are you being played?
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