It's like being a citizen of a country ... a very big country!

Hi - my name is Melanie Sutton and for the past 7 years, I have been talking, writing and thinking about the concept of knowledge citizenship. Last year, I gave myself the title "Global Knowledge Citizen" and have been doing a lot more thinking about the impact we can have on the world if we embrace this philosophy.

It all started when I considered what it means to be a citizen of a country. I had returned from a project in Australia and was really happy to be home (Johannesburg, South Africa). Many people were puzzled that I was happy to be back in the land of the free and the home of the very brave! While living abroad can be exciting, there is still that pull of national pride, that feeling of belonging, the concept that 'your people' understand your accent, your culture, your upbringing etc.

To me, being a citizen of a country meant several give and take scenarios i.e. as a citizen you pay taxes, you accept responsibility to honour and respect your country's rules and regulations, you acknowledge and respect the symbols and traditions of the country and you do your utmost to be an ambassador of your country. In return, you are given the freedom to vote, the freedom of speech, the freedom of movement, the ability to work and make a living, protection by the country's military and the ability to call a country .... your home.

So, in the world on cyberspace and in the era of Information and knowledge, surely the same citizenship rules apply. I can now connect and network with countless number of individuals whom I will probably never meet in person. By participating in this space, I agree (albeit mostly subconciously) to behave in a certain manner and accept responsibility as a citizen in this frame of reference. In addition, I open myself up to learning, to sharing and managing my interaction in this new space.

There are so many possibilities, so many opportunities for Knowledge Citizenship and I hope this blog will be a space where we can have many discussions and pave the way for a new era of participation.

Yours in knowledge

m.