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Using digital media is complicated. Invasions of privacy, increasing dataveillance, digital-by-default commercial and civic transactions and the erosion of the democratic sphere are just some of the complex issues in modern societies. Existential questions associated with digital life challenge the individual to come to terms with who they are, as well as their social interactions and realities. In this article, we identify three contemporary normative responses to these complex issues –digital citizenship, digital rights and digital literacy. These three terms capture epistemological and ontological frames that theorise and enact (both in policy and everyday social interactions) how individuals learn to live in digitally mediated societies. The article explores the effectiveness of each in addressing the philosophical, ethical and practical issues raised by datafication, and the limitations of human agency as an overarching goal within these responses. We examine how each response addresses challenges in policy, everyday social life and political rhetoric, tracing the fluctuating uses of these terms and their address to different stakeholders. The article concludes with a series of conceptual and practical ‘action points’ that might optimise these responses to the benefit of the individual and society. Usar los medios digitales es complicado. Las invasiones de la intimidad, la creciente vigilancia de los datos, las transacciones comerciales y cívicas “digitales por defecto”, así como la erosión del ámbito democrático, son sólo algunos de los problemas complejos a los que se enfrentan las sociedades modernas. Cuestiones existenciales asociadas con la vida digital desafían al individuo a asumir quién es, al igual que sus interacciones y realidades sociales. En este artículo identificamos tres respuestas normativas contemporáneas a estos temas complejos —la ciudadanía digital, los derechos digitales y la alfabetización digital. Estos tres términos engloban marcos epistemológicos y ontológicos que teorizan y representan (tanto en las políticas como en las interacciones sociales cotidianas) cómo aprenden los individuos en las sociedades digitalmente mediatizadas. El artículo explora la eficacia de cada una a la hora de abordar las cuestiones filosóficas, éticas y prácticas planteadas por la dataficación, y las limitaciones de la agencia humana como un objetivo global dentro de dichas respuestas. Examinamos cómo afronta cada una de estas respuestas los retos en materia de diseño de políticas, vida social cotidiana y retórica política, haciendo un seguimiento de los usos fluctuantes de estos términos y cómo se dirigen a las distintas partes interesadas. El artículo concluye con una serie de “puntos de actuación” conceptuales y prácticos que podrían optimizar estas respuestas en beneficio del individuo y de la sociedad.

Large amounts of personal data are generated through young people’s engagements with mobile media, with these data increasingly (re)used by advertisers, content developers and other third parties to profile, predict and position individuals. This has prompted growing concerns over the ability of mobile media users to develop informed stances towards how and why their data is being used, i.e. to build ‘conscious’ and/or ‘resistant’ forms of ‘data agency’. This paper explores ways of developing the critical consciousness and resistant practices of young mobile media users towards personal data. Drawing on research with 27 young people (aged 13–17 years), the paper describes efforts to make representations of third party use of personal data openly available as a basis from which to develop data-savvy tactics and strategies. The results of these interventions – while only partially successful – offer valuable insights into the technical, social and cultural issues that shape young people’s engagement with personal data. The paper concludes by considering how concerns over data agency might be better aligned with the realities of young people’s mobile media use.

One notable ‘disruptive’ impact of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has been an increased public discussion of online education. While much debate over the potential and challenges of MOOCs has taken place online confined largely to niche communities of practitioners and advocates, the rise of corporate ‘xMOOC’ ventures such as Coursera, edX and Udacity has prompted popular mass media interest at levels not seen with previous educational innovations. This article addresses this important societal outcome of the recent emergence of MOOCs as an educational form by examining the popular discursive construction of MOOCs over the past 24 months within mainstream news media sources in United States, Australia and the UK. In particular, we provide a critical account of what has been an important phase in the history of educational technology—detailing a period when popular discussion of MOOCs has far outweighed actual use/participation. We argue that a critical analysis of MOOC discourse throughout the past two years highlights broader societal struggles over education and digital technology—capturing a significant moment before these debates subside with the anticipated normalization and assimilation of MOOCs into educational practice. This analysis also sheds light on the influences underpinning how many people perceive MOOCs thereby leading to a better understanding of acceptance/adoption and rejection/resistance amongst various professional and popular publics.