The Internet has tremendous potential to break down national and cultural divisions. Wars are often driven by a lack of empathy, and a refusal to recognise the humanity of the other side. By facilitating direct communication between citizens, as opposed to limiting discussion to official diplomatic channels, the Internet can be a force for understanding. The Internet’s unique sense of humour can provide a wonderful catalyst for conversations between rivals. Two weeks ago, frustration with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its fostering of intolerance, spawned a trending hashtag in India, #BJPGoToPakistan. Pakistani Twitter users responded that they, too, rejected the BJP’s politics, and trended the hashtag #BJPStayInIndia.
The Internet provides tremendous benefits to human rights, most notably freedom of expression, but also the right to association, the right to education, the right to work and the right to take part in cultural life. Recent years have demonstrated the resiliency of the medium in delivering these benefits, as evidenced by failed attempts to cut off access to online services during protests in Turkey.
But for all the Internet’s potential, there are serious obstacles to the advancement of digital citizenship and digital rights. For one thing, the “universality” of the Internet only applies to the minority of us who are lucky enough to have access. Over 4 billion people have never used the Internet. These are overwhelmingly clustered in the developing world, though there is also a gap between urban and rural access across both the developed and developing world.
At this point in time, it is manifestly evident that our future is online. Our lives as digital citizens are becoming increasingly central to who we are. But with the Internet’s benefits come new challenges and responsibilities. We must expand global Internet penetration. We must vigilantly protect our digital rights. We must demand transparency and accountability from the powerful interests who control the online world. Citizenship comes with important responsibilities, and this is equally true for the digital world.