I stumbled on an interesting discussion in a Pan African group where I belong,about the high social media invasion Kenyans exhibit when it comes to defending their country's interest.I learned about amazing but sometimes intringuing stories of how merciless Kenyans could be even to their own in virtual spaces if they felt their integrity was being threatened.I have rarely seen such massive digital support and patriotism by compatriots in Africa and so I thought of writing this article to encourage our fellow students,to engage in similar patriotic actions both in the real and the virtual world.
In Cameroon secondary schools, we have this subject called Civics which begins in primary school. In civics, students learn about the moto of our country ( Peace- Work-Fatherland), the national anthem,civic rights and duties etc. All what students learn in Civics, is to help strengthen their unity and integrity,their patriotic conciousness and sense of national dignity in future.
In the EFL program in Cameroon, we also come across topics which remind the learners of their civic rights and resposibilities,and show them how to practice them.
Unfortunately or fortunately, with the rise of the Internet age, the way we display national pride is rapidly changing. The world has become a global village, which although has many benefits, presents new hurdles to ideologies like patriotism.
As language teachers who encourage their learners to be versed with contextual technology, exploring the tiniest possibility to acquiring digital patriotism is important. Since most of our learners spend a considerable time on social media platforms like facebook,twiter and Instagram, we as teachers can help them navigate through social media and its embarrassments in a patriotic and responsible manner.
WHAT IS DIGITAL PATRIOTISM
Patriotism could be defined as the devoted love, support, and defense of one's country."Having a strong sense" of belonging to a country is patriotism.Internet is an open market to everything including patriotism. On a daily basis students are exposed to posts for or against their country,forums and online communities, activism,contents,cultural e-positions,cybersecurity threats ,hate speech etc. Information is unfilltered and may shock or hurt. How then can we help learners navigate through the digital pressure and practice digital patriotism?
HELPING LEARNERS PRACTICE PATRIOTISM ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Patriotism should not be synonymous to hatred.Showing unconditional love for your country should not push you to embarrassing extremes like using hate speech against other nationalities.While we encourage learners to adopt a proud and patriotic spirit on social media, there is need to caution them on attitudes that might downgrade their country's image or that of others. One post can sail round the world in a matter of seconds on social media and its effects could be longlasting too. Cautioning our learners therefore on how to exhibit a responsibly patriotic spirit on social media is premordial.
Below are some ideas you as a teacher,can share with your learners to encourage them to show love for their country through patriotism on social media spaces without falling prey to virtual fights and hate speech.
● Learners should be encouraged to invade their social media spaces with inspiring stories of national heroes, historical conquests, positive naratives, to foster a sense of pride and belonging.
● Participate or and initiate discussions online about national prowress.
● Post, share and like national symbols and traditions such as the flag, anthem etc.
● Join national youth communities,participate in community service activites that contribute to promoting national pride( sharing images of national heroes in the groups or communities where they belong and stir thought provoking discussions).
● Sharing, liking or posting pictures or videos of national holidays,cultural feasts and the history behind them.
●Show appreciation for fellow citizen's heroic efforts( encouraging/ celebrating the national team for instance)Use hashtags or campaign speeches to spread a positive spirit even when things seem to be going the wrong way.
● Emphasize on responsible social media use. Remind learners to use social media responsibly and respectfully. Encourage them to engage in constructive dialogue, avoid spreading misinformation, hate speech and maintain a positive tone when discussing patriotic topics.
In Cameroon this week,we are celebrating National Bilingualism Week (During this week, we encourage learners to speak English and French which are our official languages).This year's theme is :
“Bilingualism: Vector of Digitalisation of Education for the Promotion of Civic and Moral Values in a peaceful and emergent Cameroon”. We can clearly see through this theme that even our Ministry of Secondary Education has thought it wise to promote learners' civic and moral values through digital education.
Most of our learners use social media irresponsibly because they lack orientation on how to navigate through the digital space and pressure. Fostering patriotism should respect diverse perspectives and cultures while promoting unity and appreciation for one's country. It's important to belong to environments where learners feel comfortable expressing their patriotism without excluding or denigrating others. Helping them see the value of expressing love for their country on social media while avoiding clashes, hate speech is a good way of encouraging digital patriotic conciousness and sense of national dignity.
Dear teacher, fulfill your part of the contract in your classroom by conscientizing learners on digital patriotism.