Welcome to Part Three

Our participation in media is increasingly wide-ranging. And it means that the categories of media consumer and media creator are not so neat. They often bleed into each other.

Moreover, being savvy about our roles in a deeply nuanced and even messy digital information environment obliges us to understand it at some level, not just use it. For example, we need to be aware of the many external forces — such as laws, business imperatives, and security threats — that affect what we can say and do online. We need to adjust our activities accordingly.

Activities that sound like digital housekeeping, such as protecting our privacy, are far more than that. In the process of maintaining our systems and security, we can learn some fascinating things about how our increasingly digital world works.