7: Risks
Continuously monitor the potential risks of participation in social network sites and inform citizens about these risks. Other Information:
Social computing trends may, on the one hand, stimulate digital competencies as evermore learning communities emerge and there
may be a potential for learning digital skills in online communities. On the other hand (and this evidence seems stronger),
social computing trends may – at least in the short term– contribute to a wider digital divide when, in particular, the digital
literates are empowered by social computing platforms while digital illiterates lag behind. Over the years, however, this
problem will decrease as new interfaces are increasingly embedded and intuitive and can cater for an ever-wider section of
the population. However, studies show that although new generations will be more experienced in using social software and
software will be more user-friendly, users will not necessarily have the skills to understand the implications (e.g. social
or legal) of their behaviour on social network sites. The government needs to continuously monitor the potential risks of
participation in social network sites and inform citizens about these risks, for example through awareness, information and/or
education programmes.
Objective(s):
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