By Aribino Nicholas (Writing in my own capacity)
Writing in the Standard of August 25 to 31 2024, Professor Ken Mufuka who is based in the US, intimates that Zimbabwe is still top of the list in education, beating Australia, New Zealand and the UK when measured by standardized examinations set by Cambridge and London universities. Despite this colossal feat, this writer is of the opinion that Zimbabweans are not faring well in the province of digital literacy. It is the intention of this writer to problematize digital literacy and in the process share experiences and perspectives that rally behind the assertion that digital literacy for Zimbabweans is painstakingly low.
Digital literacy which can also be circumscribed or understood as digital diplomacy is not just about one’s ability to use a computer or a smart phone. Digital literacy in its broadest sense, encompasses one’s capacity to understand and appreciate how to utilize technology with a sense of positive reciprocity with other online community members and also having a tooth-pick analysis of information being shared between and among groups with an eye towards establishing its credibility or authenticity and taking full responsibility for one’s online conduct. Just as human beings need a sense of decorum as they interact physically, that sense of decorum should also be demonstrated when online communications take place. Digital literacy also comes with a consciousness of the need to observe ethical implications of one’s conduct online and having an awareness of legal frameworks that regulate online behaviour in one’s country.
Most Zimbabweans are not aware of digital literacy as seen by their online conduct. Despite having the Cyber and Data Protection Act Chapter 12.07 which regulates online conduct, most users of the social media continue to share emotionally distressing pictures of accidents on Tik Tok, WhatsApp and Facebook. For example, when some Zimbabweans witness road accidents, instead of saving lives, they become photo journalists (they want to be the first with the news), they take pictures and share them across different social media platforms before the relatives of those people involved in an accident are informed. Relatives get to know about the passing on of their loved ones via social media platforms, a thing that may even trigger mental health problems for them. Rather than taking pictures of a road accident that has just happened where people are injured or have died, the ubuntu diplomacy should instruct the conscience to ferry the injured to the nearest health facility, to do first aid, call the police or an ambulance. The act of sharing pictures of road accidents and people writhing in pain with different digital spaces shows disregard for the feelings of the relatives of the people involved in the accident and also shows the dearth of both digital and emotional literacy in Zimbabwe.
Across social media platforms, there is so much cyber bullying, hate speeches, barbed comments that come without any inkling of the philosophy of consciencism. As human beings relate digitally, there ought to be an appreciation of the fact that smart phones can be either weapons of unifying or destroying their communities. For example, hate speeches or messages shared digitally can create polarization leading to conflict or violence. Some Zimbabweans receive and forward messages to various groups without even verifying if those messages are authentic, others receive pictures and videos of people in acts of love making and circulate them widely within their online communities without giving any second thoughts to the Cyber and Data Protection Act, or the impact of such messages, pictures and videos on the significant others of the people involved. Some Zimbabweans are not even aware that pictures of people cannot just be shared like confetti at a wedding, without having sought their assent (children) and consent (adults). According to the Cyber and Data Protection Act any person who unlawfully and intentionally, by means of a computer or information system, generates and sends any information or data (message(s)) to another person, or posts any material whatsoever on any electronic medium accessible by any person, with the intent to coerce, intimidate , harass, threaten, bully or cause substantial emotional distress or to degrade, humiliate or demean another person or to encourage a person to harm himself or herself shall be guilty of a criminal offence. If you are a Zimbabwean and you are not aware of the above piece of legislation then your digital literacy is pathetically low because you may not moderate your behaviour as a user of digital platforms.
With the invasion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into our spaces, it is critical that governments and organisations responsible for several different digital platforms combine their efforts in content moderation and regulatory frameworks. The need for mutually constitutive and reinforcing efforts between the former and the latter in the monitoring and regulation of digital content is as critical as water is to fish. The law has no bowels of humanity, so if one commits a crime that is related to the violation of the Cyber and Data Protection Act, the law would still take its course without looking through the window to appreciate any other material circumstances like ignorance of the law at the time of committing a crime. The onus is on every Zimbabwean to be guided by principles of ubuntu when interacting digitally with the online community. This writer is persuaded to submit that laws that guide online conduct are just coming as a bonus to us Zimbabweans because we already have the moral economy or the communal-self into which we are socialized from our formative years. Our digital literacy can only improve if, as Zimbabweans we appreciate that citizenship is not only about status, but also about duty. We all have a duty of care towards one another and this duty of care begins with emotional and digital literacy for both onsite and online social intercourse.
