The Awareness of the Digital Citizenship among the Users of Social Networks and its Relation to Some Variables

Abstract

The present study aimed to detect the levels of awareness of citizenship among the users of social networks of Al-Aqsa University students and its relation to some variables (the used network, gender, skill and knowledge of the Internet, accept dealing with the Internet). In order to achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher used the descriptive approach. He designed the scale of awareness of citizenship to include four fields: ethics, culture, critical protection and effective participation in the Internet. After applying the study to a sample of (700) students of AlAqsa University, the results deduced that: Generally the level of awareness of citizenship reached (76.08%), which means above the average. Focusing on the terms of the scale dimensions, the averages were low represented by actual participation, where the percentage was 60.38%, and medium represented by digital culture and critical protection, where percentages were (72.18% and 79.57%) respectively, while the percentage of the awareness of the ethics of citizenship appeared at the highest level, where the percentage of this dimension was (88.29%). There is also a difference in the level of the awareness of the indicators of citizenship in some dimensions of the users of social networks, depending on: the used social network, gender, level of skill and knowledge of the Internet, and level of acceptance of dealing with the Internet.