Digital idiocy in higher education: Mapping the challenge

Abstract

This paper proposes a set of conceptual underpinnings for understanding the conditions for civic participation. While the empirical research is not undertaken in this paper, an understanding of the conditions for, and partially, nature of, civic participation is required for finding out whether digitizing higher education is detrimental to civic virtues such as participation and courage. Based on examples of on-campus political action, the paper explicates three aspects of civic virtue: Firstly, an architectural aspect that can invite, bar or allow for political action, through sit-ins, barricades and the like. Secondly, a virtue-forming aspect, where forms of collective action can help foster virtues by encouraging or sanctioning certain kinds of action. Thirdly, an informational aspect, where the structure of brick-and-mortar campuses strengthens politically significant informational structures, allowing for both common knowledge and public signals (open spaces) and “closed curtains” enclave deliberations. In contrast with a range of recent attempts at resisting a decline narrative that point to changes in the nature of civic virtue with digitization, the paper concludes by using the three aspects to point to possibilities of identifying the same aspects of civic virtue online as can be found in a physical, campus setting.