community and stakeholder research
JULY 2013
Canberra
Purple Building
Benjamin Offices
Chan Street
Belconnen ACT
PO Box 78
Belconnen ACT 2616
T +61 2 6219 5555
F +61 2 6219 5353 / Melbourne
Level 44
Melbourne Central Tower
360 Elizabeth Street Melbourne VIC
PO Box 13112
Law Courts
Melbourne VIC 8010
T +61 3 9963 6800
F +61 3 9963 6899 / Sydney
Level 5
The Bay Centre
65 Pirrama Road
Pyrmont NSW
PO Box Q500
Queen Victoria Building
NSW 1230
T +61 2 9334 7700
1800 226 667
F +61 2 9334 7799
© Commonwealth of Australia 2013
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced
by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction
and rights should be addressed to the Manager, Editorial Services, Australian Communications and Media Authority,
PO Box 13112 Law Courts, Melbourne Vic 8010.
Published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority
acma | xiii
Contents (Continued)
Foreword 1
Executive summary 2
Community 2
Stakeholders 3
Conclusions 3
Methodology 3
Background 5
Overview 5
Need for the research 5
Research objectives 7
Research methodology 8
Overview 8
General community audience 10
Overview of participants 10
Reactions to cybersmart citizenship 11
Reactions to digital citizenship 12
Reactions to the DCPs 12
Alternative names for the DCPs 17
Communicating the DCPs 17
Stakeholder audience 19
Research with stakeholders 19
Context for the responses 19
Stakeholder reactions to digital citizenship 21
Stakeholder reactions to the DCPs 22
Implementing the DCPs 23
Conclusions 24
Appendix A—Discussion guides and word association 25
Appendix B—Recruitment screener for general community 38
Appendix C—Research materials 44
Responsible digital citizenship 44
Why is digital citizenship important? 44
What are the Digital Citizenship Principles? 44
The Digital Citizenship Principles 45
Know what you need to 45
Description 45
Actions and behaviours that fulfil this principle 45
Choose consciously 46
Description 46
Actions and behaviour to fulfil this principle 46
Engage positively 47
Description 47
Actions and behaviour to fulfil this principle 47
Advantages of the principles and the principles in action 48
KNOW 48
CHOOSE 48
ENGAGE 50
acma | vForeword
At the ACMA, we recognise that the Australian economy is increasingly a digital economy, and the online world is increasingly integral to the everyday lives of all Australians. Australian society is on its way to becoming a networked society and Australian citizens are already citizens of a digitalworld.
In response to these changes, there is growing international and Australian interest in promoting digital citizenship. That is, looking at cybersafety and cybersecurity issues through the lens of positive online engagement, moving away from negative, proscriptive or fear-based approaches. It is clear that Australians are seeking support and guidance on a range of issues, which can arise in online interactions. The ACMA’s digital citizenship framework seeks to provide that guidance.
In developing the Digital Citizens Guide, we drew strongly from our experience in conducting our Cybersmart programs for young people, teachers and parents. This experience tells us that we deliver the best materials when they are evidence-based. In March, we commissioned the research reported here to inform and test our approach to providing guidance to digital citizens. As well as checking the proposed messages with a wide range of community members in discussion groups, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with experts from some of the most prominent online industry and not-for-profit organisations in Australia and internationally.
The research confirmed that the key elements of the Digital Citizens Guide—Engage positively; Know your online world; Choose consciously—struck a chord with the community and with industry and not-for-profit participants alike. In language that arose from the discussion groups, these three elements can also be expressed as ‘Play nice’, ‘Be on the ball’, and ‘Think before you act’.
Industry and not-for-profit organisations, along with the citizens who participated in the discussion groups, all wanted succinct, positive, action-oriented messages. They told us that these messages needed to be framed as a call to action for them to have real impact. These findings informed our decision to adopt an umbrella approach, creating an intellectual framework for tools and resources. This high-level approach allows us to keep the message of positive online engagement fluid and up-to-date by inviting industry and community organisations to nominate the best digital citizens guidance they are currently providing—expressed in terms of the Engage, Know, Choose framework.
Our research has led to a better Digital Citizens Guide. During the research and development process, the language has become clearer, and the messages clearly actionable, with links to further resources. We are grateful to the community, industry and not-for-profit participants in our research for their commitment to building a better online world.
Richard Bean
Deputy Chair, ACMA
July 2013
Executive summary
Digital citizenship is a concept designed to promote confident, safe, productive and mutually beneficial online engagement with government, business and the broader community. Given the ever-growing nature of the digital environment and changes in the way people use and access the internet, the concept of digital citizenship aims to drive responsible behaviour in the online environment and to empower Australians to go online, and to thereby broaden the opportunities for the digital economy. Digital citizenship itself, however, requires definition so that it can become a recognisable, tangible and actionable concept.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) has been charged with informing and developing a set of Digital Citizenship Principles (DCPs), which are to underpin, guide and inform the definition of the broader concept of digital citizenship, so that both stakeholders and the broader community benefit from its implementation. In developing and refining the DCPs, it is important to understand how they could most effectively convey useful information which resonates with the target audiences.
The ACMA commissioned GfK Australia to run a qualitative research program consisting of 15 in-depth interviews with stakeholders identified by the ACMA and eight focus group discussions with the broader Australian community.
Community
The broader community received the DCPs positively. The names of the three DCPs—Know, Choose and Engage—were understood intuitively. They were seen to relate broadly to understanding digital technologies and services (Know), making informed decisions based on this knowledge and incorporating everyday values (Choose) and, by doing so, making positive online contributions (Engage). During the discussions, it was clear that ‘Engage’ was the natural outcome or conclusion of ‘Know’ and ‘Choose’. However, ‘Know’ and ‘Choose’ were felt to have some similarities and areas of overlap. The concern raised by the community was that they may lose interest if they feel they are either heard the messages before or feel knowledgeable enough already. ‘Engage’, on the other hand, was felt to be ‘new news’. Whereas the majority of communication they have received about being online relates to safety, promoting positive and responsible behaviour is a relatively ‘new’ topic.
It is therefore recommended that ‘Engage’ be the leading territory of the DCPs, with ‘Know’ and ‘Choose’ acting as underpinning and informing principles. This will more clearly position the goal of the DCPs as promoting responsible and positive behaviour, which can be achieved by ‘Knowing’ and ‘Choosing’. Participants said this would be a more engaging way of communicating and positioning the DCPs.
The general community participants were most interested in action-oriented and example-driven body copy as this provided them with clarity around what each of the DCPs means and what actions they can take to fulfil them. Examples also provide a way of introducing the community to the need to take action by talking about new and emerging issues (such as location services and the potential impact or consequences of these), while also enabling the DCPs to reinforce existing messages (for example, to promote engagement with privacy settings).
Stakeholders
Industry and not-for-profit stakeholders interviewed perceived the ACMA positively and considered themselves as having a good working relationship with the ACMA. They universally acknowledged the emergence of digital citizenship as a global conversation. A number believed they have been talking about digital citizenship for a long time because of the nature of their work.
Overall, they viewed and reacted to the DCPs positively and felt it was appropriate to elevate and encourage discussion of digital citizenship. They also saw government as the natural leader in this space and welcomed its leadership and a coordinated approach to digital citizenship.
In particular, stakeholders intuitively understood the three DCPs. They also felt that the DCPs fitted in with many of the current consumer education activities which they undertake, in particular ‘Know’ and ‘Choose’. Within the body of the DCPs stakeholders were most receptive and encouraging of action-oriented and example-focused communications. They felt that examples of best practice or those used to demonstrate the need for the DCPs would be key to both their understanding of the principles and for clear communication of these to their customers.
The most frequently expressed view from stakeholders was that they already undertake a number of initiatives or programs that embody the DCPs to a greater or lesser extent. Stakeholders felt it would be important for their efforts to be acknowledged and to position the DCPs as a framework within which their current activities could sit. It would be important to them that the DCPs are not seen as replacing their current activities or suggesting that these activities are either ‘wrong’ or ineffective. Stakeholders welcomed the DCPs as an umbrella underneath which their existing and future activities can sit and as a brand through which they can promote those activities to consumers.
Conclusions
Stakeholders and the broader community were generally positive about the overall intention of the DCPs. The names of the individual DCPs were intuitive and understood as intended. Both audiences were positive about wording that used examples and was action-oriented. They also said it was important for the DCPs to be enabling and prescribe behaviour rather than simply being descriptive. Both stakeholders and the broader community saw the government as a natural leader in this space. The broader community also wanted communication about the DCPs to come from ‘trusted sources’ with which they already had a level of trust, such as banks and telecommunications providers.
The findings indicate that the DCPs present an opportunity to inform and reinforce positive behaviour. They also demonstrate why conscious and considerate behaviour undertaken and assumed in the offline world is also necessary and prudent in the digital world.
Methodology
The stakeholder sample was provided by the ACMA and discussions were held with relevant representatives of a range of industries. The general community sample was finalised in conjunction with the ACMA and focused on young people and adults aged 16 to 65 with a mix of life stages, socioeconomic backgrounds, gender and range of attitudes and behaviour towards internet use. The research covered those who were highly engaged with the online environment, including generating content, those who are exposed to the internet but are irregular users and non-contributors, as well as those who very rarely engage in the online environment.
The ACMA approved the use of a recruitment screener for the general public groups. Discussion guides were developed by GfK and approved by the ACMA before they were used for both the general public groups and stakeholder interviews. Group discussions ran for up to two hours and stakeholder interviews for up to 45 minutes. Groups included seven to eight respondents each and were held in regional and metropolitan areas of New South Wales and South Australia. Stakeholder interviews were conducted face-to-face and by telephone. Fieldwork took place between 23 April and 13 May 2013.
Background
Overview
The ACMA has developed the DCPs to underpin, guide and inform the definition of the broader concept of digital citizenship, so that both stakeholders and the broader community benefit from its implementation. The DCPs are also designed to promote confident online engagement by individuals, networks and communities.
These DCPs will outline the skills and behaviour which create positive online experiences. The role of the DCPs is to provide a framework for education and awareness-raising, as well as to contribute to the design and development of online services. The ACMA sees their development and promotion as a shared responsibility requiring collaborative effort between the private sector, governments, non-government organisations and the broader community. The stakeholder community has a particular role to play in the implementation, promotion, and shaping of the DCPs by:
providing the infrastructure that creates secure environments
encouraging trust in online transactions
facilitating behavioural standards and expectations in digital contexts.
Need for the research
Emerging from previous research and its expertise in this area, the ACMA developed DCPs under three distinct banners of:
These were revised in the early stages of the research to:
Each DCP is comprised of a statement of intent, a description of what it facilitates, commentary on its relevance to individuals and stakeholders, and actions and behaviour that fulfil the principle. Copies of the DCPs used in the research are in Appendix C. In addition to providing best-practice examples of how to live out the DCPs, the ACMA asked that the research identify, where possible, programs or prototype programs from either the ACMA or external stakeholders that would best exemplify each of the DCPs.
Research was required to further develop and refine the DCPs. It is important that the DCPs convey best-practice principles that resonate both with key stakeholders and the community and industry target audiences. Research with stakeholders was identified as important in assisting them to deliver a consistent and forward-thinking message to inform and support digital communities regarding their online rights and responsibilities. Research was also required to engage with the broader community about the DCPs to ensure that they can be positioned and delivered in a way that is easy to understand, prompts engagement, and makes them actionable.