DIGITAL RESILIENCE: OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS FOR ADOLESCENTS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD

Abstract

Digital transformation in various areas of adolescents’ lives can expand the range of interactive environments that pose potential threats to development and health. Adolescents need safe and supportive environments that meet their physical and emotional needs and protect them from harm to reach their full potential. The aim of this research can be established to formulate digital resilience according to the experience of interacting in the digital world during adolescence. This study uses a descriptive qualitative method to describe and explain the condition of teenagers when surfing the internet. Research respondents were conducted purposively, taking samples intentionally to the required sample requirements. The main subjects of this study were determined based on the criteria, namely adolescents aged 11-21 years and actively using the internet. The data collection technique used online interviews, which contained semi-structured questions to be answered by respondents. The answer choices do not limit responses to the open questionnaire. Questionnaires in the form of Google Forms, which is one of Google’s platforms, are sent to respondents who meet the criteria through the Whatsapp group and collect answers online and in real-time. The analysis uses ATLAS-ti software to organize the data, after that, the data is processed using thematic analysis. This method can emphasize the organization and rich description of the data set and the theoretically informed interpretation of meaning (source). The thematic analysis focuses on examining themes or patterns of meaning in the data (source). Based on the results of this study, it can be formulated that adolescents who have digital resilience have several skills that must be mastered, namely the ability to keep personal and other people’s secrets, the ability to protect themselves in cyberspace from unpleasant actions, the ability to refuse pornographic content, the ability to manage time or screen time, the ability to filter and analyze information, the ability to think critically and the ability to maintain polite behavior in cyberspace.